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A review by courtney_saba
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
4.0
Overall: 3.75, rounded up
This is a love story for fanfiction writers, people who don't fit society's standards for beauty, those with non-visible disabilities, outcasts, stans, lovers of stories, and fans who just want book-to-TV/movie adaptions to be truthful and follow the source material (Game of Thrones showrunners, I'm seriously talking to you here, you mofos).
This was a delightful story. As someone who has struggled with weight and self-esteem and body image issues, this book was refreshing. I loved to see the diverse issues written here, including fat-shaming, the real life implications of dyslexia and ADHD, and how you must wear a mask for certain people and environments to avoid being judged or insulted. The fear is real, unfortunately, that people, both your loved ones and even strangers, will not accept your true self. Olivia Dade wrote about these topics with such elegance and maturity, without sounding preachy or like a how-to guide or like you're being lectured. Everyone has struggled in some quiet, private way. Everyone can relate in some capacity to these characters protrayed in this story. And that's such a wonderful thing about fiction and stories. It's one of the reasons why I love books so much, because you find kindred spirits and learn empathy while being exposed to certain topics and circumstances that you may or may not have experienced in real life. Kudos to Olivia Dade for making me that much more appreciative of stories. This book was well done and very unique. I could feel her love for stories and her openness throughout the book.
I didn't give this book a higher rating because of my nitpickiness. Her style of writing is interesting, sometimes with incomplete sentences, grammar mistakes, and confusing sentence structures. Also, while this book was endearing and unique and a tribute to all of us who wish to have happy (or at least content) life endings, there were loose ends. I also loved Marcus and April, but there needed to be more groveling on Marcus's end. Their issues just seemed to resolve themselves too quickly, with no further explanations or conversations. I expected more, and so I was left just a bit disappointed. There also wasn't enough to keep me hooked in the story. It was predictable. Another romcom. A unique romcom and a really cool story, but there wasn't anything that kept me fully engaged. But that's just me. I'm sure there will be tons of people who will 5-star this read. To each their own, you make your own opinion.
Would I re-read this? No, though the smut in this is very generous and well done...what all fans wish they could get from their favorite characters (all together maybe? Separate is fine, too. I'm shameless).
Would I recommend this? Absolutely. It was well done and well written overall, with real life issues and genuine emotions.
Was I entertained? Definitely. Especially because it had some parallels with how Season goddamn 8 of Game of Thrones ruined character arcs and development as well as shit on all the devoted fans (yes, me) that put so much time and effort (and obsession) into GoT just for D&D to FUCK EVERYTHING UP FOR NO REASON. (End of rant. This book brought up some of my own issues to the forefront that I hadn't thought about since 2018. I really appreciated the similar commentary in this story).
Happy reading, Goodreads fiends. And for all those Game of Thrones fans that feel the way I do...I am there for you and I understand. Feel free to message me if you want to rant further.
This is a love story for fanfiction writers, people who don't fit society's standards for beauty, those with non-visible disabilities, outcasts, stans, lovers of stories, and fans who just want book-to-TV/movie adaptions to be truthful and follow the source material (Game of Thrones showrunners, I'm seriously talking to you here, you mofos).
This was a delightful story. As someone who has struggled with weight and self-esteem and body image issues, this book was refreshing. I loved to see the diverse issues written here, including fat-shaming, the real life implications of dyslexia and ADHD, and how you must wear a mask for certain people and environments to avoid being judged or insulted. The fear is real, unfortunately, that people, both your loved ones and even strangers, will not accept your true self. Olivia Dade wrote about these topics with such elegance and maturity, without sounding preachy or like a how-to guide or like you're being lectured. Everyone has struggled in some quiet, private way. Everyone can relate in some capacity to these characters protrayed in this story. And that's such a wonderful thing about fiction and stories. It's one of the reasons why I love books so much, because you find kindred spirits and learn empathy while being exposed to certain topics and circumstances that you may or may not have experienced in real life. Kudos to Olivia Dade for making me that much more appreciative of stories. This book was well done and very unique. I could feel her love for stories and her openness throughout the book.
I didn't give this book a higher rating because of my nitpickiness. Her style of writing is interesting, sometimes with incomplete sentences, grammar mistakes, and confusing sentence structures. Also, while this book was endearing and unique and a tribute to all of us who wish to have happy (or at least content) life endings, there were loose ends. I also loved Marcus and April, but there needed to be more groveling on Marcus's end. Their issues just seemed to resolve themselves too quickly, with no further explanations or conversations. I expected more, and so I was left just a bit disappointed. There also wasn't enough to keep me hooked in the story. It was predictable. Another romcom. A unique romcom and a really cool story, but there wasn't anything that kept me fully engaged. But that's just me. I'm sure there will be tons of people who will 5-star this read. To each their own, you make your own opinion.
Would I re-read this? No, though the smut in this is very generous and well done...what all fans wish they could get from their favorite characters (all together maybe? Separate is fine, too. I'm shameless).
Would I recommend this? Absolutely. It was well done and well written overall, with real life issues and genuine emotions.
Was I entertained? Definitely. Especially because it had some parallels with how Season goddamn 8 of Game of Thrones ruined character arcs and development as well as shit on all the devoted fans (yes, me) that put so much time and effort (and obsession) into GoT just for D&D to FUCK EVERYTHING UP FOR NO REASON. (End of rant. This book brought up some of my own issues to the forefront that I hadn't thought about since 2018. I really appreciated the similar commentary in this story).
Happy reading, Goodreads fiends. And for all those Game of Thrones fans that feel the way I do...I am there for you and I understand. Feel free to message me if you want to rant further.