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A review by maiagaia
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
Things I liked:
- The maturity and self-reflection on display from both main characters. Whenever one of them would have a knee-jerk negative reaction to something, it was only temporary. Once the initial defensiveness or anger dulled, they thought through the interactions and considered that they may have misinterpreted the other person's intentions. What a concept.
- The main plot. Cute, fluffy, sweet. Everything I wanted from this type of book.
- The rep. Fatness, dyslexia, gayness, adhd all get a part in the story. It was refreshing.
- Fandom love. I have definitely read fanfic in my time (Game of Thrones's final 4 seasons were increasingly blights upon humanity), but I've never written fanfic or participated in fandom to the extent that the characters do here. However, I loved seeing ADULTS unapologetically participate in something they love. It was a refreshing pushback against certain creators who have not-so-subtle disdain for their more involved fans.
Things I'm on the fence about:
- April's parents. I understand that for many people, the fatshaming starts with their parents. However, I wasn't expecting that struggle to be such a big part of this book, and it was honestly depressing. On the one hand, I wish that entire subplot had been removed or at the very least toned down, but on the other hand, I understand how important that story is for some people. It dampened my enjoyment because of how depressing it was, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was a bad addition.
- The make-up scene. I don't like grand gestures as the climax of a story. They always gloss over the issue that caused the split and don't allow the characters to really work it out. I was hoping for more discussion to happen between these two since their communication had been really strong throughout. Instead, the reconciliation felt very surface-level. It wasn't a bad scene, and the characters were on the same page at that point, but THEY didn't know that because they never actually said that.
- The media excerpts between chapters. I loved some of them while others felt more obligatory. Like, the author had great ideas for a handful of them but then realized she needed to have more and slapped some stuff together. I loved the messages between the main characters and excerpts from the actual show, but I was not at all interested in the spoofy excerpts from the love interest's former roles. Those were a little too over the top for me, and some of the fanfic excerpts were a little to on-the-nose.
Things I didn't like:
- the final scene. Let me clarify, I like where all the characters end up. Let's just say there is a suggestive through-line in the chapter that's very out of place and left me mostly feeling perplexed by its inclusion.
- The number of sex scenes. Thankfully, they were not integral to the plot and easily skipped. I don't have anything against sex scenes, there were just too many. It felt like every scene had to end with sex, and I just didn't care. They were very well-written, so for anyone looking for a sexier book, this will probably be a knock-out. It's just not what I was looking for.
- The maturity and self-reflection on display from both main characters. Whenever one of them would have a knee-jerk negative reaction to something, it was only temporary. Once the initial defensiveness or anger dulled, they thought through the interactions and considered that they may have misinterpreted the other person's intentions. What a concept.
- The main plot. Cute, fluffy, sweet. Everything I wanted from this type of book.
- The rep. Fatness, dyslexia, gayness, adhd all get a part in the story. It was refreshing.
- Fandom love. I have definitely read fanfic in my time (Game of Thrones's final 4 seasons were increasingly blights upon humanity), but I've never written fanfic or participated in fandom to the extent that the characters do here. However, I loved seeing ADULTS unapologetically participate in something they love. It was a refreshing pushback against certain creators who have not-so-subtle disdain for their more involved fans.
Things I'm on the fence about:
- April's parents. I understand that for many people, the fatshaming starts with their parents. However, I wasn't expecting that struggle to be such a big part of this book, and it was honestly depressing. On the one hand, I wish that entire subplot had been removed or at the very least toned down, but on the other hand, I understand how important that story is for some people. It dampened my enjoyment because of how depressing it was, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was a bad addition.
- The make-up scene. I don't like grand gestures as the climax of a story. They always gloss over the issue that caused the split and don't allow the characters to really work it out. I was hoping for more discussion to happen between these two since their communication had been really strong throughout. Instead, the reconciliation felt very surface-level. It wasn't a bad scene, and the characters were on the same page at that point, but THEY didn't know that because they never actually said that.
- The media excerpts between chapters. I loved some of them while others felt more obligatory. Like, the author had great ideas for a handful of them but then realized she needed to have more and slapped some stuff together. I loved the messages between the main characters and excerpts from the actual show, but I was not at all interested in the spoofy excerpts from the love interest's former roles. Those were a little too over the top for me, and some of the fanfic excerpts were a little to on-the-nose.
Things I didn't like:
- the final scene. Let me clarify, I like where all the characters end up. Let's just say there is a suggestive through-line in the chapter that's very out of place and left me mostly feeling perplexed by its inclusion.
- The number of sex scenes. Thankfully, they were not integral to the plot and easily skipped. I don't have anything against sex scenes, there were just too many. It felt like every scene had to end with sex, and I just didn't care. They were very well-written, so for anyone looking for a sexier book, this will probably be a knock-out. It's just not what I was looking for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Eating disorder and Misogyny