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A review by bisexualwentworth
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Note to self: do not read books without reading the description first. I don’t know why I did that with this one, but it meant I was surprised by a lot of things at the beginning.
Ultimately, I thought this was a book with a super intriguing concept and some good scenes and elements but ultimately lackluster execution of a lot of it.
I appreciated the body positivity and the treatment of Marcus’s dyslexia. I especially liked when April called out fatphobia in the fandom and he responded as BAWN. That was maybe the part of the book where I actually cared about their relationship the most.
Overall, I thought that the characters’ online friendship was much more compelling than their actual relationship, and I spent a lot of the book wishing that they’d both been celebrities or both been normal fans. I know that some aspects of the books wouldn’t have worked at all with that change, but the inherent power dynamic that came from him knowing so much more and keeping so much from her for so much of the book made it kind of hard to root for them.
Also, Marcus is SO MUCH more developed as a character than April is. I’m realizing that this is pretty typical in straight contemporary romances, but I don’t love it.
Alex was an interesting side character. I’d almost be willing to read the second book for more of him. I didn’t like how his ADHD was blamed for anything he ever did wrong, though.
The whole concept of the Gates of the Gods show basically being Game of Thrones but make it the Aeneid made me scream a lot. In both good and bad ways. It was wild.
Ultimately, I thought this was a book with a super intriguing concept and some good scenes and elements but ultimately lackluster execution of a lot of it.
I appreciated the body positivity and the treatment of Marcus’s dyslexia. I especially liked when April called out fatphobia in the fandom and he responded as BAWN. That was maybe the part of the book where I actually cared about their relationship the most.
Overall, I thought that the characters’ online friendship was much more compelling than their actual relationship, and I spent a lot of the book wishing that they’d both been celebrities or both been normal fans. I know that some aspects of the books wouldn’t have worked at all with that change, but the inherent power dynamic that came from him knowing so much more and keeping so much from her for so much of the book made it kind of hard to root for them.
Also, Marcus is SO MUCH more developed as a character than April is. I’m realizing that this is pretty typical in straight contemporary romances, but I don’t love it.
Alex was an interesting side character. I’d almost be willing to read the second book for more of him. I didn’t like how his ADHD was blamed for anything he ever did wrong, though.
The whole concept of the Gates of the Gods show basically being Game of Thrones but make it the Aeneid made me scream a lot. In both good and bad ways. It was wild.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Body shaming
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Ableism