More General Romance Than Romcom 🤓

Marcus and April, an unlikely coupling due to one reason and another, but also a great couple because of that. From the outset appear worlds apart, one a star of a big TV show, the other an unknown who doesn't fit what they perceive as the stereo typical love interest. On the surface very different, but are they really when you peel back to their insecurities. With their secrets/different ways of life... can love prevail?

Spoiler Alert was an okay read, but in many places I found it to a bit slow. For Me personally, I didn't find a great deal of comedy included, it does touch on subjects such as dyslexia and plus size difficulties. At times I found it was repetitive, maybe a shorter story with a little more humour. An okay read, but 'Romantic Comedy' had me hoping to be laughing out loud quite a lot whilst reading... would've enjoyed it more if I hadn't set my mind on the comedy element, but definitely worth reading.

April Whittier is a geologist by day and fan-fic writer and cos-player in secret. She's also fat. This is a major part of the her character (and her character arc). When she moves to a new job, she decides she's not going to hide who she is anymore and posts a picture of herself in costume on Twitter. Predictably, the trolls come out to comment on her size rather than the costume. In response to someone being particularly mean and tagging him on the comment, Marcus Caster-Rupp - the actor who plays Anaeas in the hit TV show, asks April out. But what April doesn't know is that best online best friend, who beta reads her fan fics, is none other than... Marcus Caster-Rupp.

Both April and Marcus are scarred and they're both judged first by their outward appearance, and that's not always favourable (especially for April). A lot of the conflict in the book comes from them trying to get past their instinctive or habitual responses to comments and learning to trust that they have each other's back.

The characters feel like real people and the dialogue is delightful.
The fat rep in this book is excellent. There's also a healthy amount of food description (I love a bit of foodieness in novels). It's quite steamy - but that's important to April's insecurities. I loved the interstitial sections (especially the scripts from the really bad movies that Marcus had to do before he became famous). I also enjoyed the descriptions of fandoms and fanfic communities, especially the bit when April properly realised she'd found her tribe.

This is a great book. I had a blast reading it.

A plus size heroine is what made me want to pick up this book! The plus size rep was amazingly done and I could relate to soo much of what Olivia had to face.
Marcus was also an amazingly dorky character with his own vulnerabilities .
Unfortunately the romance didn’t exactly reach my expectations. There was nothing wrong with it and I can’t point out any obvious problems with it except that it failed to evoke any strong emotions in me. I liked it but didn’t love it.
So I am going with 3/5 stars

Ugh, the rep and the fandom geekiness in this book was nothing short of amazing. It was so much fun and the characters were just wonderful, they both had so many hidden layers and it was fascinating seeing what else they would reveal. There were so many crucial issues that Olivia Dade explored, those including fat-shaming, parental abuse, dyslexia, self-acceptance and confidence, and she dealt with all of them in a very sensitive and respectful manner, melding all of them with an adorable, yet highly steamy, romance. This isn't simply a love story, but a brilliant and thought-provoking message about accepting yourself, and not accepting other's criticisms and judgements.

April and Marcus have been friends for years--online friends who have bonded over their love of a couple, Aeneas and Lavinia, in their favourite book, Gods of the Gates. In real life they couldn't be more different--April is a geologist, spending her days in the dirt, whereas Marcus is an actor, playing the part of the very character he writes about. Their real lives clash in a big way when April decides to make big changes in her life and posts a picture on Twitter of her wearing a costume inspired by Lavinia, one that immediately goes viral, with both trolls and supporters commenting on her, and her plus size. Then Marcus sees the picture and asks her on a date to spite the trolls. But what started as a date for all the wrong reasons, soon changes as Marcus realises April's online persona, and April realises that Marcus is not just the air-headed actor he portrays himself as...

I absolutely adored how Olivia Dade made April so confident in herself right from the beginning. Even before she meets Marcus she is already making big changes in her life because she's unsatisfied with certain parts of it. She was an older heroine who knew what she wanted and she went for it, which was such a good message.

Marcus, on the other hand, the man who seems to have it all on camera, is hiding all the vital parts of his personality. The man he portrays for his audience, a vapid, arrogant man, is completely different to the sensitive, clever man within. He is so much more than what people see and when they start to date, and he falls more and more for April, he slowly starts to unveil for her to see.

The chemistry between the two of them was hot! There were some very steamy sex scenes, but the parts I absolutely adored were their cute banter. They were such an adorable couple and were genuinely friends, always boosting the other if they needed it.

I also really enjoyed the interstitials. There is a break between chapters where we get a delightful titbit of April and Marcus's online life before they met, or even glimpses of the various parts Marcus has acted--and they are often downright hilarious and provide a lot of laughs.

All in, this is a delightful book with some very insightful messages about acceptance. It was funny, it was steamy, it was utterly romantic and I cannot wait to read more by Olivia Dade!

Rounded up to 5 stars!

I lived for this book for 4 days of a work week, I couldn’t wait to get back to the characters. SPOILER ALERT was a contemporary romance with heart and some heat. It focused on fandom and fan-fic life and this couple’s story was something that most readers would cheer for.

April and Marcus met under unconventional circumstances, and for April it was an almost dream-like situation. I was completely on board and gripped from that moment. The chemistry between these two ended up being so believable because it took time to find its footing.

Both Marcus and April had trust issues and I really enjoyed the foundations of those back stories, they were real and identifiable. I did struggle somewhat with the secret between them. When this book turned serious and the peak of the inevitable crash happened…the emotion was raw and dialogue was fantastic. I highlighted and highlighted because it just hit me in the gut and made me feel.

"At long last, he was letting her see him without any barriers, any artifice, any deception between them."

Basically, Marcus was my favourite character. He had such hidden depths and evolving character development, I couldn’t help but love him. April was his worthy opponent.

If you want a fun, flirty story that turns out to run deep with feelings, then SPOILER ALERT is for you. It’s one of the best contemporary romances I’ve read this year.

Thank you to Piatkus, Little Brown UK for the early review copy.

Marcus is the star of the biggest TV show, but on his free time he writes fanfiction stories that show his disappointment with the current season of the show. 

April is a fan of the show, she also likes to write fanfiction. When she posts a photo on Twitter while wearing a cosplay costume it goes viral. Some people are judging and making mean comments about her body. 

That is when Marcus decides to ask her out on a date to publicly support her as an answer to the people who are harassing her. But one date isn't enough, their attraction is almost instantly which makes them want to explore their connection further. 

Marcus can't tell anymore about his secret without risking his career and everything he worked for. He is a complicate character, his public persona is different from his real self. With April he is very sweet and caring. 

April represents accurately every fan in any fandom. She is a beloved plus size woman who is comfortable in her body and doesn't let people change her. 

This book is so much fun, the humor is on point, I laughed out loud in more than one occasion. I loved the way fanfiction and the fandom community was present in the story. April and Marcus have a lot of chemistry and their intimate moments are spectacular. Through the story the personal growth for both of them is clearly apparent.

Loved this book, the story of Marcus and April.

They meet in real life after he defencds her on twitter and asks her on a date. They start to spend more time together but both are keeping secrets so what will happen to them when the truth comes out.

Looking forward to the next book!

Spoiler alert! This was good! Really good.
Let just say that I love my romance with little bit of substance.
And I love book with layers. And this one has it.
This is a slow burn romance. April is so sweet. I adore her. I love that she loves herself. Loves her body. With all good and bad. And Marcus is so,so sweet. Just a good guy. God, where can I meet him?! I just loved their connection. This isn't some fluffy romance, It deals with fat shaming and with learning disabilities. It made me think...


Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

4 stars from me, just because I don't get a fan fiction...

Spoiler Alert, Olivia Dade


Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance

Well, I love to read but...I've never read any Fanfic, so that part of the novel, the way it was set in particular format, was a bit beyond me. I suspect if I was a fan fic fan ( ha!) I'd have enjoyed this novel more.

I liked both April and Marcus, but felt both got way too deep in analysing every moment, every slight, mishap, constantly looking for slights almost. It came over as almost Therapy speak, and didn't feel very natural.
They both had difficult pasts, parental issues, and as a larger lady myself now I did understand Aprils feelings. Somehow you do feel judged. I haven't always been big so I get a look from both sides of the coin, and I suspect others pay less attention to size than we think.
I felt for Marcus, we have the same problems within our family, and its difficult to get proper help, everyone seems to develop coping strategies, and I loved Marcus' Well Behaved Golden Retriever act. I could see that playing out really well.
As a couple, Marcus being so famous I was surprised he didn't need security, that they weren't papped more, attracted more groups of fans while out, and of course April being a larger lady, I thought there would have been thousands of comments online about her. Sadly we're unkind and use social media as a platform to vent all kinds of hate.
I could see that things were going to come to a head, secrets always come out at the worst time, and that part was excellent. I did feel April didn't give enough weight to Marcus problems, how difficult it was for him. She felt it showed lack of trust but there was so much hanging on it from his side I understood why he'd kept quiet.

Stars: 3, a fun read but not one that kept me gripped, and I did feel a lack of reality about Marcus fame.

Arc via Netgalley

A story about an actor falling for a normal girl? Yes please!

Such a great fun story that also has characters who love fan fiction I also loved that the main character April felt like a ‘real’ character and i found i could relate to her in quite a few ways

Highly recommend for a good fun story.

Spoiler Alert was alright. It could have done with being 200 pages shorter a lot of the same ground was repeatedly tread over. The fan fiction angle was the interesting hook of this novel and I felt it wasn’t used as fully as it could have been. It wasn’t central to the the plot and as it was the only thing that made this book different it should have been.
The central characters Marcus and April also spoke like they had swallowed a library of self help books. Nobody talks like this outside California (maybe they should but they just don’t). The main female character April is hard work. Every other conversation Marcus had with her he was apologising for something he hadn’t done or didn’t need to apologise for. Theses characters are in their late 30s and a lot of the time they acted as if they were in their teens, albeit teens who had been to a lot of therapy. And for someone who repeatedly said they were ok with their body April sure was sensitive to any perceived slight about it. There’s a whole bit where he asks her to the gym and they go on a donut tour instead that made me roll my eyes. I rolled my eyes a lot.
It’s also much more smutty than I was expecting. I shouldn’t have been surprised by this it is about fan fic after all which is a well of smut.
There was also a lack of secondary characters, they were barely there. Their only purpose was to provide a community for April to belong to.
So it was ok, it could have been better it could have been worse.

Things I liked about this book:
*the snark directed at GoT final season
*A ginger heroine
*imagining NC-W as Marcus
*it was a total consent fest
*Characters who love fanfic as much as I do
*All the sexy bit

Things I did not like:
*I stayed up way too late reading it

Dade has written a delightfully nerdy and refreshing story with 'Spoiler Alert', pleasing the parts of me which love both Game of Thrones and steamy romance novels. Who knew such perfect synergy could be achieved? Not to mention the uplifting realism of April as one of our protagonists, a confident woman who does not allow herself to be shamed for her body. Her strength is inspirational (and reminiscent of Bea in the amazing 'One to Watch', both books proving representation of plus-sized women in romance novels should be more commonplace!)

Dade's novel is based on the fictional, GoTesque series 'Gods of the Gates', starring the jaw-droppingly attractive, yet slightly dim, Marcus. Little do his co-stars and the general public know that his appearance of lacking intelligence is masking his online persona as Book!Aneaswouldnever, an accomplished and thoughtful writer of fan-fiction who anonymously chats with others on the forum. This includes superfan April who is none the wiser her online friend is the star of her favourite show... Let's just say that these two are a steamy recipe for success as a couple as their worlds collide in reality.

Across the novel, Marcus and April go on a semi-loved up and semi-angsty journey of self-discovery with Dade failing to shy away from exploring issues such as undiagnosed dyslexia, parental abuse and fat-shaming. She manages to balance some bitingly witty dialogue with the more serious side to the story, ultimately bringing a smile to the face of the reader about this wonderful couple who reject society's scathing judgement and expectations. Recommended for any fans of fantasy and romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so wonderful. It's a lovely romance, but it's also a love letter to the fanfic community and writing fanfic that captures the beauty and possibility of it. As I also have found community through fic there were so many passages I just wanted to hug the book to my chest I loved it so much. It's geeky and heartfelt and just warms my heart.

My first impression - besides the fanfic parts that I loved - was that it had too much sex. This isn't unusual for a romance and usually it's just that I'm uncomfortable with all the sex since I'm ace. I want the emotional connection and closeness of a romance instead of the physical connection.

However I am willing to make allowances for this story.

April is fat and has been fat-shamed her whole life by family and friends and boyfriends. She has so much self-confidence and is defiantly in love with her body and it's beautiful. She knows her body and revels in it and the pleasure it brings - and since she does have a history of being fatshamed I'm willing to accept that the sex showing both her and her partner (Marcus) absolutely loving her body is in fact necessary to the story.

Marcus is dyslexic and has been shamed for it for so long that he adopted a 'beautiful and dumb as a rock' persona that he has hidden behind his entire career. But he's not dumb - he's very intelligent and thoughtful and I love how April slowly helps him become more confident in himself.

Also they both write fanfic and actually met by beta-ing one another's fics and becoming close fandom friends long before their in-person meeting. She writes gleefully smutty fics and he writes unapologetcally angsty fics and there are snippets of their past conversations and fics scattered through the book.

Also! He's 40 and she's 36 and they are both such avid members of the fanfic community and I think that's beautiful and realistic - fandom is not in fact a place only for teenagers.

Their relationship is such a warm and supportive one and it's so refreshing to read in a romance. I will *definitely* be picking up the sequel -- which is about Marcus' hilarious friend Alex and is called Slow Burn so I kind of have to.

I really loved this book! I love adult romance novels in general, but this is one of the standouts in the genre for me. It is sort of an adult romance version of Geekerella with body positivity thrown in so it was absolutely wonderful.
My favourite thing about this book was that both characters felt very realistic and fleshed out. Too often in adult romance novels, the male character doesn't get a lot of backstory but as this story was in dual POV, we truly got to understand Marcus which made for a better reading experience. I truly understood why he did what he did and I think it adds another dimension to the story.
I also loved April a lot. As someone who is also fat, I resonated a lot with her inner thoughts and struggles. The fact that she was quite confident in her own body but still had all of these insecurities ingrained in her and had trust issues based on that, really felt realistic.
I really enjoyed the romance between the two characters because it felt natural, compared to some other titles in the genre.

Spoiler Alert is the sassy story of a discontented actor, who begins a relationship with a committed fan of the show that made him a household name.

Overall, I loved it. Fun, sexy, inclusive and respectful, Spoiler Alert felt like a love letter to fandom. The plot was fairly predictable (not a bad thing in a cute romance!) and felt a little overlong, but the characters were fantastically crafted and I was in love with them from start to finish!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

God, I loved this so much.

I have never read this author before but as a lover, and occasional writer, of fanfiction for various fandoms, the blurb called to me on some spiritual level.

Marcus is my very favourite type of H. He is seemingly vain and vapid but is actually so much more than he seems. Plus, who doesn't love it when the H is hot to the point of being on fire and the h is a plus size woman with body issues? Sign me right up!

This book really resonated with me as a Large woman and as a member of fandoms aplenty. Let's be honest, we've all toyed with the idea that the heartthrob in the fics might actually enjoy them.

But April's insecurities are so accurate to so many people, myself included, and Marcus' struggle with Dyslexia is a reality to children and adults worldwide, that it gave this story the sincerity that I hadn't quite expected.

I don't think I could find a single flaw with the plot, the writing or the characters and Alex's foray into fanfic just made it all so much better!

I am SO pumped to read Alex and Lauren's story, I absolutely cannot wait!!!

5 stars!

I found the storyline very good; it was nice to see a main character not be a size 8 with model good looks etc and an actor who wasn't perfect, and it was good to see their character development, however I felt the story dragged on too long and became rather slow. It seemed the author was dragging it out just to have more room to fit more sex scenes in, so it ended up seeming a bit like the fan fiction she was writing about, but sadly it detracted from the story and made it tiresome to try to finish it. The ending was lovely and very Hollywood. I wouldn't recommend this book, mainly due to how slowly it develops and way too many sex scenes which detract from the plot development

Olivia Dade’s ‘Spoiler Alert’ follows April, a strong-headed woman who loves fanfiction related to her favourite show, ‘Gods of the Gates’, and Marcus, the actor portraying one of the important roles in the said TV show. When April poses a picture of her cosplay of one of the characters from the show on Twitter, Marcus defends her online when the negative comments appear about April’s size and invites her on a date publicly.

The premise of ‘Spoiler Alert’ is quite fun – fanfiction, cosplay, famous actor on a date with a fan. And while April and Marcus are quite interesting characters, with much to offer to the world and themselves, I wasn’t completely immersed in the story. I ended up having mixed feelings about ‘Spoiler Alert’. On the one hand, I loved the representation in Olivia Dade’s book in terms of the plus-size main character as well as dyslexia; on the other, I haven’t completely liked the execution. While references to fandom and fanfiction fitted the story well, the incorporation of the actual fanfiction/stories didn’t work for me personally that well. I had driven attention away from the main story at moments. There have been parts I have enjoyed way more than the others, and I think on the overall, I liked the concept, but the story hasn’t worked completely for me.

This was my first book from Olivia and I will be checking out more in the next couple of months even though I did have a couple of issues with the book. There were so many great things in this book, there was fantastic representation of plus-size characters and as well as Dyslexia. And I loved that the plot was set around fan fiction as it wasn't something I had read before. The romance between Marcus and April was brilliant, so cute and also steamy and I loved the whole date via Twitter!

Regarding all of the representation in this book, I was so glad for the discussion and how it was all handled but it did overpower the story for me at times, I could have done without one of the issues with one set of parents personally. I also could have done with less actual fan-fiction because even though I really liked reading it, there was too much for it that didn't always add to the plot of the book (I did skim some of it). But I did love when the fan-fiction paralleled what was happening in real-time. You can tell the author is heavily involved in the fan-fiction world but for any reader picking this book up with as about as much understanding as I have, it's can be very confusing as none of it was actually explained (like AO3 etc, it was just expected that the reader already knows it all).

I knew going into this that it was going to heavily discuss fan-fiction and the show that Marcus is on but I found it to be quite confusing at times and hard to follow. We were thrown in from the beginning pages expecting to understand all the characters on the show and who they were and it took me a while to fully understand everything. I didn't completely gel with the writing style (which could have been more of a formatting issue and nothing to do with the writer). The book is fast-paced but isn't a fast read, I actually had to reread parts a few times as I kept getting lost.

The conflict scene was what I had predicted it to me but the resolution wasn't really included. You don't get to see these characters talk about the issue at all and it skips almost completely to the ending which didn't make much sense to me as it was such a big deal to April (a complete deal breaker to her) so to not see her actually discuss with Marcus was disappointing to me.