Scan barcode
ladythana's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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: Sexual content and Abandonment
Moderate: Fatphobia and Body shaming
Minor: Infidelity, Death of parent, Bullying, and Mental illness
hendrixpants's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Infidelity
beckyremillard's review
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
ashleyvharris's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Despite bringing much-needed fat representation to the spicy romance genre, Ship Wrecked feels more like a sinking ship without life jackets.
Dade’s third book following actors from the (unfortunately) fictional “Gods of the Gates” television series, Ship Wrecked was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022. So I was surprised and disappointed by the lack of coherent plot and unlikable characters.
If you like character-driven stories, this might be for you. I much prefer when my romance stories have plot beyond the romance itself. We see small conflicts pop up throughout the book, but all find resolution—if unsatisfying—fairly fast. We see a huge gap in time, but only receive short generic mentions of what our main characters got up to during that time and how they’ve each changed and grown.
There’s little in the way of ongoing conflict; the author focuses mainly on the characters internal conflicts, doubts, and past pains. I think those internal conflicts are valid and well-written, but fail to provide interesting forward movement to the story.
I might have enjoyed the character-driven story more if I had been able to connect and relate to Peter or Maria. Unfortunately, I found both to be immature and hard-headed; they also lacked chemistry on the page. At times it felt like we were expected to like them as a couple because of their similarity in size.
Peter came off as cold, cruel, and immature from the beginning. While we learn some reasoning for why this might be and we see him grow out of those traits a bit, it never feels like he fully shakes that.
Maria came off as stubborn, overbearing, and selfish. Unlike Peter, she doesn’t seem to change much. From her constant coddling of Peter to encourage him to be social (he’s a grown man) to her demanding that he give up career opportunities to be with to her all the time, Maria was not an appealing character for me. If there was any shred of hope, it was lost with her hypocrisy at wanting a job that would take her out of LA for months when she left Peter for that reason .
While I didn’t enjoy this book overall, Olivia still brought her charming writing style and messaging of inclusion, fat-positivity, and self-love to the page. Plus, the Alex Woodroe cameos alone are absolutely worth it. Here’s hoping Dade returns to form in her next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abandonment, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Infidelity
dearbookboyfriend's review
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Death of parent and Infidelity
the_vegan_bookworm's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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? Yes
3.75
As much as I loved Spoiler Alert and All the Feels, I think this book was the weakest of the series so far. Peter and Maria are likable characters, but they get reduced to flat tropes repeatedly and it gets boring to read after a while. The last quarter of the book really dragged for me for this reason.
I love Maria a lot though, and a fat, hairy, take-no-shit female protagonist brought me so much joy. I just wish she wasn't reduced to Swedish one-liners in so many of her scenes - she can do so much better!
I love Maria a lot though, and a fat, hairy, take-no-shit female protagonist brought me so much joy. I just wish she wasn't reduced to Swedish one-liners in so many of her scenes - she can do so much better!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity
kathigh86'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My new favorite from Olivia Dade. I much preferred the storyline and characters of this book than others in the series. Only rated it 4/5 due to the lack of labeling when it came to the time jumps. Otherwise I think this one has a well thought out emotional plot, good spice, funny characters, and interesting setting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
thewildmageslibrary's review
4.0
Rating previously held during the HPCUnion strike.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Fatphobia, and Body shaming
Moderate: Abandonment and Grief
Minor: Death of parent and Infidelity
peachani's review
emotional
hopeful
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Death of parent, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Cursing
sydapel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
3.75
Bumping up because Olivia Dade is doing some incredible stuff in the romance space and deserves a lot more recognition. Probably my least favorite of the Gates of the Gods series this far, but considering how much I loved the first two it's a high bar to clear. Maria and Peter are so well matched and their journey together is done so well. Ultimately, I just didn't think their banter was done as well as it could have and fell a little flat for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Fatphobia, and Body shaming