Spoiler Alert (Spoiler Alert #1)

As an unapologetic GOT fan (well, except for that last season), this book was a freaking marvelous gift in the hellscape that is 2020. We get a surface glossy hero with hidden depths (not to mention a couple of demons), a plus-sized heroine who loves both herself and her fandom, a respectful look at fanfic and the writers who create it, and wonderful little snarky gems scattered throughout this incredible romance. I literally tweeted the author in the middle of the night when I screeched in laughter at the cheeky reference to my favorite GOT character. Seriously, you have to read this book RIGHT NOW.

When I picked up SPOILER ALERT I was looking for a book to read between two intense nonfiction books dealing with current events. All I asked was that it have a happy ending and that it not hit me with a bunch of casual prejudice on the way there. A nice romance about a fat woman who is loved by a gorgeous guy with hidden depths seemed like just the ticket.

The sex was even hotter and more explicit that I expected, but if that were all, I would have counted it as a nice bonus and written a pleasant one-sentence review. It was the complexity of the characters and the way they dealt with their challenges, singly and together, particularly the hardest parts with each of their parents, that really got me. I won’t say more here, but if this strikes a chord, you should try this book. Also, this book has so much more than just a happy ending. The issues of being friends and lovers and partners and of having each other’s backs, and of community and solidarity under siege, are explored in multiple ways. I finished the book with a real respect and affection for these characters.

Recommended wholeheartedly. And now if you will excuse me, I need to go find out what else this writer has written.

This book is my latest read in the contemporary genre. I like these types of books because I find the characters relatable and familiar to me, like close friends. “Spoiler Alert” by Olivia Dade is no exception and spoiler alert: I loved it.

“Spoiler Alert” has the perfect trappings of a book made for fandoms. With pieces of fanfics littered throughout, I found myself wishing that “Gods of Gates” was a real series. The series in the novel has many similarities to the way “Game of Thrones” was adapted into a show that fans loved until the showrunners decided to take it in their own direction diverging from the books. It even has a little nod to someone accidentally leaving something modern in a shot, this time a water bottle instead of a coffee cup, which I thought was clever.

Marcus is an actor on the show whos spare time is spent moonlighting as a fanfic writer. Going by the name Book!Aeneaswouldnever, he often criticizes how the showrunners are treating the characters. He actually plays the character Aeaneas on “Gods of Gates”, so he has to keep his hobby a secret from everyone or he could be in breach of his contract. April, the female lead of the story, is also a fanfiction writer under the title UnapologeticLaviniaStan. She writes about how strong Lavinia’s character is, her relationship with Aeneas, and adds some modern alternate versions of the story. Online April and Marcus form a connection, with April having no idea that she is talking to the lead of her favorite tv show.

April posts a picture of herself in cosplay on Twitter. After she is bullied by fans of the show because of her weight, Marcus steps in and decides to ask her on a date. Neither knowing that they are longtime friends consultants on their fanfics.

The thing that I loved the most about the book is that both of the leads feel real, like people you would know. The description of April being plus sized, her vibrant red hair and her love of all things that are nerdy was like it could have been written about me. While Marcus literally looks like a god, he actually has some things about him as well that are familiar, not only having his own love of fandom, but also having dyslexia and having to over come that. He is also incredibly shy to the point of having to act differently than his actual personality.

As someone who is very engrossed in fandom culture and have been for years, this book felt like a love letter to me and so many others. That the usually plain and unassuming girl can be noticed and celebrates no matter what your size you can have a place in the cosplay community. This is an ongoing issue that I have seen in our world today with fat shaming and fandom policing. It is a good reminder that we are all flawed no matter how imperfect or perfect we seem on the outside. It also touches base on parents who mean well but can be harmful in what they say when trying to make someone the best version of themselves. As someone who has had to deal with that myself I almost cheered reading about the characters standing up for themselves.

If you have been engulfed in fandom yourself, have written fanfics, or have felt like an outsider, you will find a home in this story. I cannot recommend this enough to everyone.

This is my favorite romcom of 2020 and the bar was not low after Well Met and Well Played.

These characters were just SO FREAKING RELATABLE ON EVERY LEVEL. Complex and interesting and fully alive. I loved April and Marcus so much and their personal struggles, while feeling entirely natural and authentic, made them uniquely suited for one another in a way that made so much sense. EVERYTHING about this romance felt as natural as breathing, effortlessly executed, and I enjoyed it so much I stayed up half the night to finish reading it, and am now mad that I didn’t savor it more.

Which means it is time to go shopping Olivia Dade’s backlist, so ttyl!

I thought I was going to love this story, being an AO3 nerd myself and being hardcore into cosplay. This story just fell so FLAT. Not to mention, I mostly skipped the script and fanfic excerpts placed in between chapters. I did read the e-mails between the characters, but other than that the rest was boring and not worth adding. Also, the editing and refinement could have been done a bit better :/
I feel like if you wanted to read a story VERY MUCH LIKE THIS, Rainbow Rowell’s FANGIRL is probably a better fit.

Pros:
Talking about comic con, cosplay and online fandoms that great and can be incredibly supportive.
April feeling oh-so-confident and being headstrong about what she now wants out of life. Haters gonna hate!
April’s job. It’s different and kind of cool (other than an opening of this, you really don’t hear much else about it except for Ross-Level rock jokes).
Marcus’ backstory.
Fairly light-hearted.
I think there was one joke that I found funny.

Cons (Warning Spoilers):

The characters almost had zero personality; anxiety and being good at your desired job is NOT a personality.
The hype over Marcus’ fame really didn’t come through at all. There was maybe three incidents where people too not-so-discreet photos of them out and about, and that was it. There was no “rush to outrun the paparazzi!” or outrageous headlines making the front page for some made-up scandal.
Aprils’ co-workers band. It only ever gets mentioned, no performances happen.
April’s backstory; while sad, just felt like a glossed-on tag to her character arc.
April’s dating history; glossed-over mentions, no sit-down heart-to-hearts about it.
Aprils’ sudden flip from hot to cold about people commenting on her weight, despite claiming she won’t let it affect her publicly. Then refusing to listen to Marcus, when she knows he struggles with putting thoughts into words properly.
The sex; DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND ME, I am totally up for reading explicit sex and -normally -the dirtier the better. But it felt so OUT OF PLACE in this story. It was almost like the author thought, ‘I keep saying April writes explicit sex in her fanfics so I should totally SHOW explicit sex just because!’ It just didn’t gel with the way the rest of the story and how it sounded. These two fairly affection people suddenly going from awkward and clich chat-up lines to using the C-word and F-word every sentence? It was like a child dropping an F-bomb in the middle of class for no reason.
The length of the story. Considering how very little actually happens in a large chunk of the middle of the book, I honestly feel like it could have been 100 pages shorter, minimum. I was starting to skim read just to finish it.
Barely any of the supporting characters have any appearances or personality at all. Except maybe for Alex. The rest just sort of … pass by.
For something listed as comedy … there wasn’t really any comedy …

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