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lowkeymarie'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
4.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the review copy! Overall rating: 4.5
I previously read (and absolutely adored) Spoiler Alert and All the Feels by Olivia Dade, and I was really excited for this third installment in the Gods of the Gates saga. And while I will say that this is probably my least favorite of the three, I still loved it.
Peter and Maria are both compelling main characters and they have fantastic chemistry. So much flirting and teasing and bickering! Their relationship unfolds so satisfyingly, over a period of several years, and none of their ups and downs or inevitable miscommunications feel manufactured or tired. Something that has impressed me about Dade's writing through the whole trilogy is that the story never feels formulaic despite hitting all the requisite beats for a romcom.
Something I especially loved about this book is just...Maria. She knows what she wants, what she expects out of a partner, and most importantly, she damn well knows what she deserves and she will accept nothing less.
(Also, Alex continues to have my entire heart.)
I previously read (and absolutely adored) Spoiler Alert and All the Feels by Olivia Dade, and I was really excited for this third installment in the Gods of the Gates saga. And while I will say that this is probably my least favorite of the three, I still loved it.
Peter and Maria are both compelling main characters and they have fantastic chemistry. So much flirting and teasing and bickering! Their relationship unfolds so satisfyingly, over a period of several years, and none of their ups and downs or inevitable miscommunications feel manufactured or tired. Something that has impressed me about Dade's writing through the whole trilogy is that the story never feels formulaic despite hitting all the requisite beats for a romcom.
Something I especially loved about this book is just...Maria. She knows what she wants, what she expects out of a partner, and most importantly, she damn well knows what she deserves and she will accept nothing less.
(Also, Alex continues to have my entire heart.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
thisreadingcorner's review
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
3.5
Ship Wrecked is the third book in a series about the cast of a popular tv series (very much GoT) finding love, this time beginning with a one night stand turned years long partnership. Peter, long-time actor and loner finally getting the role that promises to change his career trajectory forever, meets Maria, Swedish theater ingenue and body confidence maven more committed to family than craft. After an impassioned and anonymous meeting, the two assume they’ll never see each other again, until they both walk into the same audition. Needless to say, there is some serious chemistry, and some serious tension.
I wanted to love this, but almost immediately, I was confused. There are several big time jumps in this story, so it ultimately spans about 6 years in its 400 ish pages. The time they spend apart is not used to develop their characters in any key ways and no great detail is provided about what that experience is like, it’s just - oh and now I see him/her again, can’t believe it’s been six years. While I appreciated Peter’s commitment to the bit, the idea of him allowing their friendship/relationship to stagnate for that long didn’t curl all the way over, especially because some of the crucial conversations they have at the 6 year mark should long preceded any notion of loving someone - it feels like they both devote an incredible amount of meaning to a spark but do no real work to fan it until the 40% mark.
Things that worked for me: Maria’s refusal to compromise her body in the face of professional pressure. The cast of side characters cheering them on - more behind the scenes folks than the other actors (I can do without the fanfic/costars). The entire Sweden montage of scenes was beautifully domestic. The Kauffman cover and pairing of two fat people who are just fat, not conveniently ~slightly~ larger than the other characters. I don’t know if this is the close of this series, but I think it could and should be - the couples in the first two books appear and a pretty neat bow is tied on the show.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Fatphobia
decklededgess's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
Trigger warnings: depression, death of parent, social anxiety, fatphobia, sexual content, alcohol, sexism, death of parent, grief, hypothermia,
Such a stunning conclusion to the Spoiler Alert series! This was my favourite of the three books even though I'm an Alex groupie through and through.
One of my favourite things about this book is the masterful way the timeline and pacing was handled. It's a sort of slow burn even though it opens with their one night stand. It spans around 7 or 8 years of them working on the show but the story doesn't drag on the page. Yet you feel the time pass as the characters grow, as major timeline markers from All The Feels and Spoiler Alert pop up. I loved how even the greater cast of characters also ages on page despite them not being central to the romance.
Peter and Maria are such fun characters. Peter going from butt hurt man baby to able to handle his feelings bc he is working through trauma was really great. Maria has no flaws, she is perfect to me. Peter and Maria start off with a little bit of animosity after their one night stand because Peter is a man-child but I did appreciate that they still had incredible chemistry and ability to banter. They were still compatible despite their antagonism, they just had to learn how to overlook their egos. I enjoyed how Peter learnt to read Maria's love language and communicate his own needs over the course of the book.
I loved the little inside jokes they shared not just between themselves but with the cast as well. And I thoroughly enjoyed how the reader is pulled into these jokes because there are two books of context to it. It made the reading experience feel like watching friends get together after years of pining. Also, the pickled fish gag was my favourite thing. No more context on that so y'all get to enjoy it properly on page.
Seriously, this is a stunning conclusion to the series.
**I don't have first hand experience in the world as a fat/chubby/plus size person so while I didn't find any issues with the representation, I am not the one to comment on that. More authentic reviews will do a better job of feedback on the representation.
Such a stunning conclusion to the Spoiler Alert series! This was my favourite of the three books even though I'm an Alex groupie through and through.
One of my favourite things about this book is the masterful way the timeline and pacing was handled. It's a sort of slow burn even though it opens with their one night stand. It spans around 7 or 8 years of them working on the show but the story doesn't drag on the page. Yet you feel the time pass as the characters grow, as major timeline markers from All The Feels and Spoiler Alert pop up. I loved how even the greater cast of characters also ages on page despite them not being central to the romance.
Peter and Maria are such fun characters. Peter going from butt hurt man baby to able to handle his feelings bc he is working through trauma was really great. Maria has no flaws, she is perfect to me. Peter and Maria start off with a little bit of animosity after their one night stand because Peter is a man-child but I did appreciate that they still had incredible chemistry and ability to banter. They were still compatible despite their antagonism, they just had to learn how to overlook their egos. I enjoyed how Peter learnt to read Maria's love language and communicate his own needs over the course of the book.
I loved the little inside jokes they shared not just between themselves but with the cast as well. And I thoroughly enjoyed how the reader is pulled into these jokes because there are two books of context to it. It made the reading experience feel like watching friends get together after years of pining. Also, the pickled fish gag was my favourite thing. No more context on that so y'all get to enjoy it properly on page.
Seriously, this is a stunning conclusion to the series.
**I don't have first hand experience in the world as a fat/chubby/plus size person so while I didn't find any issues with the representation, I am not the one to comment on that. More authentic reviews will do a better job of feedback on the representation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Death of parent, Grief, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Fatphobia, and Physical abuse
churrosmom's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Disclaimer: I received a Netgalley eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book was good but I didn't love it. The premise is the two main characters meet and hook up right from the first page, then Maria ghosts Peter the next morning. Later in the day it turns on they are auditioning to play love interests in a very Game of Thrones-esque TV show. They're both cast and will be filming on location in a small island village in Ireland. The book has a lot of elements of fan fiction, fandom, and similar complaints about the showrunners as in Game of Thrones. There is a lot of pining and slow burn.
I really loved the fat rep and all of the scenes involving Maria's Swedish family and the family she creates with their coworkers during their on location shoots. I loved that there was a big emphasis on the importance of other family/relationships outside of a romantic relationship. However, I felt like the pacing was off. At one point there is a huge time jump and I almost missed the cue of the time jump and was hella confused for a bit. Once the main characters got together it felt like the story felt really distant and not as warm as before. The 180 from Peter during the conflict also didn't make that much sense to me and felt out of nowhere. I also felt quite a lot of distance from the main characters, and didn't connect with them that much. I noticed sometimes it felt like a lot of telling rather than showing.
This book was good but I didn't love it. The premise is the two main characters meet and hook up right from the first page, then Maria ghosts Peter the next morning. Later in the day it turns on they are auditioning to play love interests in a very Game of Thrones-esque TV show. They're both cast and will be filming on location in a small island village in Ireland. The book has a lot of elements of fan fiction, fandom, and similar complaints about the showrunners as in Game of Thrones. There is a lot of pining and slow burn.
I really loved the fat rep and all of the scenes involving Maria's Swedish family and the family she creates with their coworkers during their on location shoots. I loved that there was a big emphasis on the importance of other family/relationships outside of a romantic relationship. However, I felt like the pacing was off. At one point there is a huge time jump and I almost missed the cue of the time jump and was hella confused for a bit. Once the main characters got together it felt like the story felt really distant and not as warm as before. The 180 from Peter during the conflict also didn't make that much sense to me and felt out of nowhere. I also felt quite a lot of distance from the main characters, and didn't connect with them that much. I noticed sometimes it felt like a lot of telling rather than showing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Body shaming, Sexism, Fatphobia, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol
marissalouisee's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-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
4.0
What a great finisher to the spoiler alert series! Peter and Maria were both such lovable characters, one thing I think Olivia does so well is making her male mcs so relatable and easy to empathize with. I love her use of third person but still having dual pov. Additionally, I loved the themes of family, especially chosen family, woven into this book. Olivia does a fantastic job of weaving in very real and relatable traumatic storylines for her characters to give them depth without it being too much. Overall took off one star because I wish there had been a more clear indication of the 6 year time jump, I felt like the plot slowed a lot in the middle, and I felt like Peter deserved more of an apology and explanation from Maria for her unrealistic expectations of “all or nothing” when they were making up. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent
sarah_thebooknerd's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
5 ⭐️
3 🌶
Tropes: one night stand, enemies to friends to lovers, forced proximity, Hollywood romance
Representation: 2 main characters that are plus size, both the FMC and the MMC
CW: death of a parent (off page), foster care- adoption, toxic relationship, infidelity ( off page mentioned not btw main couple), body shaming, sexual content
Every once in a while when you are reading books you find a gem that calls to your soul. This book did that for me. Peter is from WI, and I am from WI and the parts of the book when they were in WI and the talks and humor around the food just made me happy. Peter has trust issues and never really felt a part of the group or wanted. So he distanced himself in order to protect himself.
Maria needs connections and relationships to be grounded and okay. The love story and build was perfection, the spice was amazing and I just feel so good as a plus size woman to see the representation in Olivia’s books and also the advocacy for our bodies and people learning to respect us. I just feel like her books heal my soul every time I read one and for that I’m so thankful.
My only critique of this book was the break up- I honestly think that Maria needed to do some groveling as well but overall I would recommend this book and the whole series!
3 🌶
Tropes: one night stand, enemies to friends to lovers, forced proximity, Hollywood romance
Representation: 2 main characters that are plus size, both the FMC and the MMC
CW: death of a parent (off page), foster care- adoption, toxic relationship, infidelity ( off page mentioned not btw main couple), body shaming, sexual content
Every once in a while when you are reading books you find a gem that calls to your soul. This book did that for me. Peter is from WI, and I am from WI and the parts of the book when they were in WI and the talks and humor around the food just made me happy. Peter has trust issues and never really felt a part of the group or wanted. So he distanced himself in order to protect himself.
Maria needs connections and relationships to be grounded and okay. The love story and build was perfection, the spice was amazing and I just feel so good as a plus size woman to see the representation in Olivia’s books and also the advocacy for our bodies and people learning to respect us. I just feel like her books heal my soul every time I read one and for that I’m so thankful.
My only critique of this book was the break up- I honestly think that Maria needed to do some groveling as well but overall I would recommend this book and the whole series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
tiannakelly's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Death of parent, and Infidelity
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
onceandfuturereaders's review
funny
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
4.5
I honestly don’t even know where to start. This was my first Olivia Dade book and I absolutely loved it. I can’t wait to go back and read the first two in the series. Maria and Peter are a one-night stand turned into television co-stars. The story jumps around a bit between their first meeting and their six years of filming in Gods of Gates (an epic fantasy show) on a remote Irish island together. While their one night stand didn’t end well, their relationship develops over the next half a decade and turns into something more.
This book is beautiful. I absolutely loved the fat representation in Peter and Maria. Their chemistry jumps off the page and I would absolutely ship them if I was watching their show (I shipped them anyway). I loved that they both showed personal growth and I loved how they grew together. Both of them had their own childhood traumas from the loss of a parent or parents and I loved how the book openly discussed their therapy and personal growth, as well as how they still had to figure out how to grow together.
The banter in this book is so good. I legitimately laughed out loud at so many parts. Maria is hands down one of my favorite female main characters I’ve read this year. The way she stood up to the Hollywood bs made me absolutely root for her so hard. And while I struggled to understand Peter in the beginning, he really ended up growing on me and making me root so hard for their relationship.
I think the only thing that I didn’t really like was some of the fluff used to fill the story - I loved the fan comments, but could have gone without all of the fanfiction in place of more of Maria and Peter’s actual love story.
Thank you Net Galley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is beautiful. I absolutely loved the fat representation in Peter and Maria. Their chemistry jumps off the page and I would absolutely ship them if I was watching their show (I shipped them anyway). I loved that they both showed personal growth and I loved how they grew together. Both of them had their own childhood traumas from the loss of a parent or parents and I loved how the book openly discussed their therapy and personal growth, as well as how they still had to figure out how to grow together.
The banter in this book is so good. I legitimately laughed out loud at so many parts. Maria is hands down one of my favorite female main characters I’ve read this year. The way she stood up to the Hollywood bs made me absolutely root for her so hard. And while I struggled to understand Peter in the beginning, he really ended up growing on me and making me root so hard for their relationship.
I think the only thing that I didn’t really like was some of the fluff used to fill the story - I loved the fan comments, but could have gone without all of the fanfiction in place of more of Maria and Peter’s actual love story.
Thank you Net Galley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia and Death of parent
jessgj's review against another edition
slow-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
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon publishing for giving me a copy of Ship Wrecked! This review is my own thoughts and opinions
Wow, this really snuck up on me. It feels a bit strange to say this as this is the third book in this series, especially one that I'm already a huge fan of (And pre-ordered) but the deft character work Dade does in this book is just outstanding to me.
Maria is amazing, fat and strong, confident and smart, just ICONIC. I want her to be my love coach. Peter, on the other hand.. It took me a while to love Peter compared to the insta-love I had for Maria. He's a quiet, awkward man and proud moments. He's also so desperate for this particular role in Gods of the Gates (The Game of Thrones-eque show that's a massive garbage fire) that he essentially abandons Maria a few times. Still, slowly, he redeems himself and I fell in love with him along with Maria.
What was interesting to me is how despite spending as much time with these characters, they still played things close to the chest Peter is a quiet person but Maria is seenmingly an open book (She regularly talks about how she doesn't understand prud-ish Americans because EVERYONE HAS NIPPLES, YOU GUYS! Stop being weird about it!) As a writer myself, I'm pretty observant about character motivations and I'm not often surprised by curveballs but ugh, this got me good. Dade handles these characters with such skill that I felt like I knew them. Only to be slammed by particular sentences and revelations about them. After finishing the book, I spent the next day analyzing certain scenes with new eyes and it's just so good!
And the humor! I loved the "pet-names" our pair called each other and the island shenanigans (DOLPHY MCBLOWHOLE!!) The parts with the other Gods of the Gates cast (Including my sweet boy Marcus and beloved chaos Demon Alex) was a blast. I'm actually tempted to reread the series now that I know what all happening behind the scenes.
That said, this isn't the slam dunk Spoiler Alert was for me. I'm not big on slow burn (6 YEARS OF YEARNING, Y'ALL!!) and the time jumps were a little weird to me but those are absolutely a me thing rather than the fault of the book.
In conclusion, this might not be my favorite of the series but wow, this might be her best work yet.. I can't wait to read more from her.
TW: Off screen death of parent(s), fatphobia, misogyny
Wow, this really snuck up on me. It feels a bit strange to say this as this is the third book in this series, especially one that I'm already a huge fan of (And pre-ordered) but the deft character work Dade does in this book is just outstanding to me.
Maria is amazing, fat and strong, confident and smart, just ICONIC. I want her to be my love coach. Peter, on the other hand.. It took me a while to love Peter compared to the insta-love I had for Maria. He's a quiet, awkward man and proud moments. He's also so desperate for this particular role in Gods of the Gates (The Game of Thrones-eque show that's a massive garbage fire) that he essentially abandons Maria a few times. Still, slowly, he redeems himself and I fell in love with him along with Maria.
What was interesting to me is how despite spending as much time with these characters, they still played things close to the chest Peter is a quiet person but Maria is seenmingly an open book (She regularly talks about how she doesn't understand prud-ish Americans because EVERYONE HAS NIPPLES, YOU GUYS! Stop being weird about it!) As a writer myself, I'm pretty observant about character motivations and I'm not often surprised by curveballs but ugh, this got me good. Dade handles these characters with such skill that I felt like I knew them. Only to be slammed by particular sentences and revelations about them. After finishing the book, I spent the next day analyzing certain scenes with new eyes and it's just so good!
And the humor! I loved the "pet-names" our pair called each other and the island shenanigans (DOLPHY MCBLOWHOLE!!) The parts with the other Gods of the Gates cast (Including my sweet boy Marcus and beloved chaos Demon Alex) was a blast. I'm actually tempted to reread the series now that I know what all happening behind the scenes.
That said, this isn't the slam dunk Spoiler Alert was for me. I'm not big on slow burn (6 YEARS OF YEARNING, Y'ALL!!) and the time jumps were a little weird to me but those are absolutely a me thing rather than the fault of the book.
In conclusion, this might not be my favorite of the series but wow, this might be her best work yet.. I can't wait to read more from her.
TW: Off screen death of parent(s), fatphobia, misogyny
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Fatphobia
Moderate: Abandonment and Death of parent
uranaishi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Abandonment, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Alcohol, Body shaming, Medical content, Bullying, and Sexism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence