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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
jackie_recommends's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'll be honest, I have mixed drinks about feelings for this one. On the surface, I love the premise; I love the blatant nod to Vikings and GoT, and the behind-the-scenes aspects with the characters and the show. I also love the representation, both characters are plus-sized/fat, and love their bodies and own their sexuality.
BUT...I wish that content warnings had been included at the start or made more available to arc readers. There is a big ol' trigger warning about 30% through for major fatphobia, body shaming, disordered eating, and toxic work environment. The two main characters are both hired to their roles because they have larger bodies; the tv show execs they work for then decide that between seasons 1 & 2 their characters will have to lose a good deal of weight to show that they've been stranded on a frozen island all alone.
Now, the characters don't actually go through this; the heroine stands up for herself and her costar and threatens retaliation and legal stuff based on her contract if the show execs make them go through with the weight loss. However, a BIG RED FLAG - the hero doesn't stand up for the heroine, and is ready to go along with the execs plans...ew.
ALSO, I don't like the hero. He's got a big old chip on his shoulder from a past relationship, and takes it out on the heroine; the book opens up with the characters having a one night stand, and the heroine clearly isn't expecting or wanting more. The hero, however, obviously is and when he wakes up and the heroine's gone, he takes it out on the heroine, and is an absolute douche to her through that 30% mark.
This is a well-written book, however I really didn't enjoy these facts, and they ruined the rest of the book for me.
BUT...I wish that content warnings had been included at the start or made more available to arc readers. There is a big ol' trigger warning about 30% through for major fatphobia, body shaming, disordered eating, and toxic work environment. The two main characters are both hired to their roles because they have larger bodies; the tv show execs they work for then decide that between seasons 1 & 2 their characters will have to lose a good deal of weight to show that they've been stranded on a frozen island all alone.
Now, the characters don't actually go through this; the heroine stands up for herself and her costar and threatens retaliation and legal stuff based on her contract if the show execs make them go through with the weight loss. However, a BIG RED FLAG - the hero doesn't stand up for the heroine, and is ready to go along with the execs plans...ew.
ALSO, I don't like the hero. He's got a big old chip on his shoulder from a past relationship, and takes it out on the heroine; the book opens up with the characters having a one night stand, and the heroine clearly isn't expecting or wanting more. The hero, however, obviously is and when he wakes up and the heroine's gone, he takes it out on the heroine, and is an absolute douche to her through that 30% mark.
This is a well-written book, however I really didn't enjoy these facts, and they ruined the rest of the book for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, 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
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
bookwormbullet's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Body shaming
purplepenning's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Grief, Cursing, Sexual content, Mental illness, Fatphobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Blood, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
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