A review by kamreadsandrecs
All The Feels by Olivia Dade

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh this really was a delight to read! Any (admittedly slight) concerns I had about the leads reading too similarly to the ones of Spoiler Alert were immediately allayed once I got into the story. Alex and Lauren are both absolutely darling and their relationship developed in a way that was uniquely theirs. 

Fandom and fanfic play a role in this novel, but not to the same extent as in the first one. Instead, celebrity gossip and scandal are at the center of the plot, working alongside the concept of a celebrity destroying their own career through ill-considered choices. As the novel goes on, it becomes a story about guilt and atonement, accountability and acceptance. It shows how, while it’s important to be aware of one’s own flaws and mistakes, one cannot hold oneself accountable for things that one had no control over; trying to do so is a shortcut to self-destruction. 

The novel also tackles how, in an attempt to make things right, it’s possible to do more harm than good - especially when one’s “solution” to a problem oversteps the boundaries put in place by other people, or otherwise harms them. For that matter, even if the solution only harms oneself, that can still hurt the people around one because they wouldn’t want to see one get hurt in the first place. 

Another important theme is how one must place value in one’s own self. While it’s possible to go overboard and become utterly selfish, it’s just as bad to constantly put other’s needs above one’s own. It’s another kind of self-destruction, and incredibly insidious because it’s easy to slip into the idea that one is doing good for the world by sacrificing oneself on the altar of unmitigated selflessness. (Incidentally it was this theme that gutted me the most, and I willingly admit I had a bit of a come-to-Jesus moment that I may need to talk over with my therapist.) 

Overall, this was a lovely continuation of the Spoiler Alert series, telling a story connected to, but still distinct from, that of the first book. The two leads are really fun to read about, and following the progress of their relationship is an absolute delight, but it’s the themes interwoven through their story that really made this book really stand out and shine.