I have been waiting to read this book ever since Alex showed up at Marcus's flat in Spoiler Alert and started talking about Lauren. So, when I saw it on Netgalley, I requested it immediately.

Alex is a film star with impulse control issues. Lauren is a psychotheapist who used to work in A&E and is supposed to be taking a well earned rest by going on holiday. But when Alex gets involved in a bar fight, his production company gets him a minder to stop him bringing any more bad PR to the show. That minder is Lauren.

Lauren is calm and serious and stoic. So stoic. She's aware that she's a bit round and looks a bit like a bird. She's also aware that Alex's world demands certain levels of beauty that she doesn't reach. Alex is beautiful, but also very, very kind. Lauren sees past the drama and the posturing and sees this, while Alex appreciates someone taking the time to find out why he did something before condemning him.

The ADHD rep is great as is the fat rep. It's really nice to see a heroine who is genuinely not beautiful (rather than one who THINKS she's not beautiful, but is really). As a really short person, I genuinely enjoyed that the heroine was much shorter than the heroine.

All in all, it's a great read - really funny and engaging. I absolutely loved it.
I received a review copy from Netgalley.

thank you so much netgalley and avon for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. all the feels is out now !!! 💖

oh Olivia hunny, this book had everything and more. the tropes though !!! THE TROPES! only one bed, forced to work together, grumpy/sunshine but this time Alex is the sunshine and Lauren is grumpy ! fanfiction was also such a big part of this book, which i loved.

the next topic i want to talk about in regards to this book is the representations in this book! this is the 2nd book in the series that has another plus size rep, and there is not many books out there with this in. this book also tackles mental health, in regards to Lauren burning out from her job as well as Alex having adhd! alex’s adhd is a key part of the book and it was so interesting to understand it in more detail.

the premise of this book i absolutely loved, Lauren is offered a job by her cousin to babysit hollywood actor Alex which is a big change from her old job working in the ER.

🌶/5 [18+]

— tw: domestic abuse, fatphobia —

All the Feels by Olivia Dade was my first book of hers and wish I could say I enjoyed it. All the elements for a promising story was there. Tropes I enjoy, slow burn and some enemies to lovers and the overall romantic comedy vibe. I definitely got slow burn but the enemies to lovers aspect didn’t work. I didn’t like Alex or Lauren. His remarks to and of Lauren was cruel and not funny in any way. Alex kept going at her and Lauren did what she’s been used to. Took it and let it bounce off of her.

It was a very slow paced story and I felt there was nothing interesting that happened to force the story forward. The interludes interrupted the pace and flow of the story. I understood the purpose of them but for me they became an irritation.
Alex and Lauren had no chemistry at all. She was hired to make sure Alex didn’t get into trouble off set and throughout the entire story I felt a distance or disconnect between these two. So when I couldn’t feel neither chemistry or a connection it felt weird and forced when it progressed to them being intimate and starting a relationship.
I appreciate the author for taking on important topics such as plus size representation and ADHD but the overall execution lacked. I’m really disappointed this story didn’t live up to its promising blurb.

Tropes: slow burn, only one bed
CWs: fatphobia

Similar to Spoiler Alert, I have some mixed feelings about this book.

I really liked both Alex and Lauren, and especially the way their relationship developed. I have a soft spot for when two people are super protective of one another, and Alex kept hitting that consistently. He did take it too far a few times; all the shouting at Lauren was a bit much. The change from friendship to romance is a slow one, but I actually appreciated it here and felt like that made the story more realistic and believable to me. Also I just love a good slow burn. There were plenty of sweet moments throughout as well.

My problem with the book stems from two things. One of them is the interludes, which were also my least favourite part in Spoiler Alert. But while I felt like they served a function there in giving us conversations between April and Marcus that happened online, I didn't see the point in including them here. There does seem to be fewer of them, so that is good.

The second is, as is so often the case, the conflict. I will say that I was never entirely sure what would happen to briefly break them up, which was nice because I think the conflict in Spoiler Alert was super obvious from the moment they started dating, and every chapter was just an agonizing wait to get to the inevitable, oh so stupid, could totally have been avoided, fight scene. It was a lot more subtle in this case, but I think the machinations used by the author to trigger the conflict were too on the nose. And not just there; there were several incidents throughout the story that were clearly there to take the relationship to the next level, but played out in a way that didn't feel entirely believable. Sure, people can be horrible and mean, but I had serious doubts about some of the minor characters and the way they acted. It felt like the author needed a way to move the story forward, whether that was realistic or not.

One other thing I've noticed now that I've read two books by her is that, in both cases, the main characters have similar faults that inevitably lead one of the two to blow up at/leave the other (kind of unjustified because they're both making the same mistakes). When they reflect on what happened, they realize they were wrong to act the way they did, and decide they will do anything to have their partner take them back. I'm usually not a fan of the author using similar machinations in different books, so I'm curious to find out if I'll enjoy other books by her.

Overall an okay read, an easy read but not particularly gripping. Not sure what to say about this book. For me, with the main characters I found Alex irritating, Lauren more down to earth/normal.

I don't know how to feel about this.
I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.
I liked the storyline and the concept. I loved the banter between Alex and Lauren.
However, the writing style was difficult for me to get into. I felt it to be choppy at times. There were times when the transition from one scene to another felt abrupt. I also felt quite disconnected from the characters.

3.5 stars I was really charmed by this but I really would have liked to have seen more relationship development between Wren and Marcus. To me, he was very standoffish with her for far too long so the chemistry that made Spoiler Alert such a phenomenon just wasn't there. I did love the way the author wrote about the fat experience, especially in a romance setting and about how families react and are affected by that. Despite that I really liked the writing in this and I hope there is more from this series. I look forward to whatever this author releases next. Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK, Piatkus and Netgalley for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

A star-studded slow burn romance between an excessive Hollywood playboy and his strict minder intent on keeping him in control.

Alex is a loveable jerk and knows it. He even uses it as part of his charm offensive on and off-screen. When he gets himself into a brawl the only way to protect him and the TV show he is starring in is to hire a minder to keep him reined in. Meet Lauren, an ex ER therapist with the patience of a saint. For months, wherever Alex goes, Lauren must follow, which means lovers of forced proximity will adore this book.

The relationship between Alex and Lauren is so pure and full of innocence and growth. It semi falls into enemies to lovers/ opposites attract and even Sunshine/ grumpy tropes but is so much deeper. Lauren listens and truly cares about Alex, putting him first before anything else. Alex in return respects and values Lauren more than she's ever known.

The humour in the book leaves the reader with a continuous smile. Alex's ADHD means he does everything a hundred miles an hour even though he is physically and mentally exhausted. It also means he is relentless in his speech and behaviours. He uses words to charm, distract others, express how he feels and do anything he needs at the moment. There is no filter between his mind and his mouth and it's beautiful. He is a ray of sunshine that continually shines directly in your eye.

Lauren on the other hand is more than anyone gives her credit for as everyone only seems to look at her skin deep. Consistently brow beaten by strangers and family to believe she is the bottom of the pile. Despite this she doesn't let her self confidence issues stop her from being a strong female character.

The relationship between Lauren and Alex is difficult to judge. Parts of it really work such as their back and forth banter. However, Alex often deliberately gives Lauren backhanded compliments which he tries to portray as flirtation, but in all honesty it comes off as an attempt to undermine her self confidence so she's more open to his advances.

Lauren's weight and physical appearance is brought up frequently and usually not in a flattering way. It very much tells the reader Lauren is unattractive and no one would want her until Alex sees past her outward appearance. It often feels like Alex's occasional acceptance of Lauren is there to show he is a decent person when actually all he is doing is providing basic respect to another human being. Alex is shown to be decent for a multitude of reasons so this was wholly unnecessary to the plot.

I also wasn't the biggest fan of how Lauren's body was described in terms of Alex's sexual thoughts towards her. There was a section where he was fantasising about Lauren being on top of him with her weight crushing down on him holding him in place. Reading this made me uncomfortable and annoyed as the reverse wouldn't even come into play with a non-plus sized woman. The fact she must be the domineering one due to her size didn't sit right with me.

My gripes aside I did enjoy the book and I would 100% read more from this author as the writing style made it incredibly easy to consume. I liked it had plus size representation though feel it could've been improved in terms of relationships between Lauren and other characters. I would recommend it to fans of romantic comedies with fair representation present and those who don't mind a bit of fame thrown in.

There aren't enough books out there that promote body positivity and I love a good bookish/fanfiction element, so I've had my eye on this series for a while. I've been warned that things could get rather steamy, which is definitely not my cup of tea... But I crossed my fingers and toes and dived into the first book Spoiler Alert anyway earlier this year, and to my surprise those scenes didn't bother me too much. Instead, I ended up having an excellent time with the first book, and I've been looking forward to All The Feels and Alex & Lauren's story ever since. Now that I've had the chance to read it, I have to say that it definitely didn't disappoint!

All The Feels is the second book, but not a 'true' sequel as it evolves around two different characters instead and takes mostly place during the same time period as the first book. And as references to Marcus and April as well as what happened in the first book are made, I do suggest reading both in order to avoid spoilers. The story is mainly set in California, although the story starts in Spain where the last Gods Of The Gates season is being filmed. It's been great to revisit the different settings that were mentioned in the first book, and especially the road trip part of All The Feels had some wonderful descriptions that will make you want to grab your car and do your own little road trip.

The main focus is of course on the two main characters and their evolving relationship. Having already met both Alex and Lauren in the first book, I've been looking forward to dive deeper into their dynamics and see how things grow. While I do have to say that the constant teasing of Lauren was a tad too brutal and there was too many repetition of just how unappealing Lauren's looks are, Alex's charm ultimately wins over and I do like it when characters are flawed and present character growth. Both the ADHD and body positivity rep was excellent and I like how this story isn't just about the romance as we have all those elements in play and more, including family issues, parental pressure, domestic abuse, body shaming, bullying, dealing with fame... Giving us a little breathing space to recover from those sexy scenes (because holy guacamole; steamy is an understatement!). Oh yes, there was quite some skimreading for me involved whenever another sexy scenes appeared, but thankfully the story itself had a lot more to offer.

I also loved the inclusion of fanfiction and the fact that you even get fragments of Gods Of The Gates fanfiction is a huge bonus. The writing itself is engaging and it was very easy to just keep turning those pages... And although I liked their initial banter even more, it was great to see both Alex and Lauren grow and connect. As a whole, All The Feels turned out to be a very satisfying romance read despite things getting hotter than a Carolina Reaper pepper. Fans of the genre will have a great time with this story!

Headlines:
Body-positivity
Judgement
Friends to witty more

The start and ongoing premise to All The Feels starts with a judging a person by their appearance, judging Lauren the plus-sized heroine. This story is the journey back from that initial judgement and this man really was good guy, not one to go solely by supposed ideal appearances at all. I appreciated so much how this story navigated these issues while packing a great plot around it.

All The Feels picked up the batton where Spoiler Alert left off, with Alex an actor from the same series as the previous book and there was a fan fic element too. Alex for me, was such an adorable character, he had ADHD and he was a walking, self-depricating, guilt-ball. Lauren with her therapist background and babysitter role was able to inject some positivity to his sense of self over time.

This story was something of a slow burn. I appreciated the time passing, the friendship evolving and the chemistry building. Then everything was pretty much unleashed and much fun to read.

I didn't always find the fan fic excerpts (which were few and far between) easy to read, they jarred me a bit with the flow. In this story, I didn't feel like it added much but then when I remember the soulmate one, that was pretty special.

This series is shaping up so well and I'm excited to own some special editions of these two books when book two releases.

Thank you to Piatkus Books for the early review copy.

A modern romance story set in the heart of Hollywood. There are so many things I love about this book. The use of fanfics, the way Alex loves so strong and the way Lauren calms him and centres him.

Alex who has ADHD and Lauren 'wren' who has been often been mistreated for the way she looks and has learnt to accept it, find what they have been missing in each other. Love and acceptance.

Just a lovely read that will warm your heart and having you laughing and frowning, but leave you with a smile!

This was such a fun read!

All the feels, the second book in the spoiler alert series was a really entertaining read! However it definitely had moments were it fell a little flat.

The chapters sometimes tended to be a little long and draggy and in the beginning Alex was described as "unpleasant" so many times it confused me a little! The main character Lauren was great but I felt like it took a moment before we really got to know her.

However Olivia Dade writes swoon worthy romances and All the Feels was just that! This was a really good palette cleanser after the recent fantasy binge I had been on haha.
A big yay for the adhd & plus size rep in this book!

Alex is a burst of energy, always has something to say (or text) and is fiercely protective of those he cares about. Lauren is a badass therapist who has seen it all and can take whatever is thrown at her without blinking an eye. Lauren doesn’t say much. Alex says too much. But can he wear her down when they are forced to spend every second of the day together?

A+++, stunning, thank you Olivia Dade for blessing us with my newest book boyfriend, Mr Alex Woodroe. 🥰

I was definitely feeling ‘All the Feels‘ with this book. It was one of those books you just know will be a favourite. The perfect setting, the perfect characters, the perfect balance of humour and realness. The book took on a few heavier topics, but it dealt with them perfectly and didn’t let it completely overshadow the plot or its characters. It was full of hilarious one liners and endless jibing (mostly from Alex) and as a fellow chatterbox (who can’t seem to shut themselves up if they try), I loved it.

The representation in the book is, of course, handled amazingly. Details about Alex’s ADHD and how he deals and struggles with certain things were peppered throughout the story, but it never felt like they were out of place or forced. The details were weaved seamlessly into plot points and conversations and always made sense. The same was the case with all the other amazing topics the author sneaked in!

If you are looking for a slow burn, grump and sunshine, hilarious romance, I would highly recommend checking this out 🥰

This is the second in the Spoiler alert series and the first book I’ve read by Olivia Dade, from the blurb it sounded so good but the book was disappointing for me. The main characters lacked chemistry. The heroine isn’t attractive, we are told this often enough. Alex is fairly unpleasant too.

BOOK REVIEW: All The Feels by Olivia Dade

2.5 Stars

Smut level: 3.5/5

This is hard to review as it is a book of two halves. The first half I found to be rather boring and concerning whereas I enjoyed the second half. I loved the first book in this series Spoiler Alert and so I am sad that this book didn't work for me.

Firstly, All The Feels is not a unique book. In many ways it is a lesser version of Spoiler Alert as it has a male actor taking part in fanfic (Alex) and the love interest being a plus size woman with a "normal" job (Lauren). There was just too many similarities between the two books!

As I said earlier, I did not enjoy the first half of the book and in fact nearly DNFed 4 or 5 times. I found the overall storyline in this half to be tedious and wasnt interested in the characters.
This was mainly due to Alex's behaviour towards Lauren. From the first meet, Alex constantly remarks that Lauren is ugly, birdlike, has a crooked nose and is as round as a ball. He puts her down by saying she acts like a shrew, a harpy and is boring etc. This is usually in a "jokey" way but it happens SO often that it doesn't feel like a joke. I can't express how often this happened, it felt like a barrage of abuse to me. It made me as a reader feel uncomfortable and upset for Lauren's character and made me not like Alex at all.
In the second half, we finally get some personality from Lauren other than her defending herself from abuse. We also see a completely kinder side to Alex and remarkably I kind of liked him at the end.
If I just read the second half, I would love them as a couple but taking the first half into account, I don't. I believe the modern word for Alex's behaviour is "negging" and because of this I don't support their relationship.

I am really sad that this book had so much negativity towards women since the first book was empowering. Although the writing was very good, there was so many problems that I could not look past. I sadly wouldn't recommend this book.

Please note that I was gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a lot of fun. I haven't read the first in this series and I wonder if that meant I liked this one more and I had no point of reference. A lovely read.

I liked that these characters were not perfect in mind and body but successful and confident in themselves.
However, I didn’t like that I had to be reminded of these “flaws” and that weight or cognitive ability was so persistently put front and centre of the relationship.
Alex and Wren were sweet together and it was ok to read as a stand-alone, although small parts seemed to assume you’d know the character(s) history.

A good book that made me want to carry on reading. It was enjoyable and I’m sure it will appeal to many others. Good book.

All the Feels by Olivia Dade a fantastic five-star read. I didn’t realise that this was number two in the Spoiler Alert series, but I didn’t feel lost, Marcus and April are just delightful, if a little crazy and a touch nerdy, digging deeper into Alex made this story so deep, it hits all the feels in the most literal sense. This is such a great story, I am certainly going to b checking out more from this author.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review - thanks so much to Netgalley for sending this to me!!

All the Feels is the second book in a series that follows the actors of a Game of Thrones-esque TV show named Gods of the Gates, and the ordinary, non-famous women they fall in love with. This book follows Alex, an erratic and bighearted actor with ADHD, and Lauren, the woman whose job it is to keep him from getting into trouble.

This was a very sweet book, but I didn't really gel with it for several reasons. One was that I felt it relied very heavily on the reader having read the first book - which I have, and I enjoyed it a lot, but I read it many months back and my memory of it was foggy. Most books in romance series' also function as standalones - I don't think this one stands well on its own. I noticed this when I read All the Feels, in that there was a lot of emphasis on Lauren and Alex in that book as if the author couldn't wait and had already started writing their story, which meant that I found this book dragged a bit to begin with as a) we spent a fair bit of time rehashing things we'd already seen in book one, and b) there also seemed to be parts missing as there was an assumption that the reader was familiar with what had already happened. I think it would have worked better if things had been newer and fresher and stood alone from book 1 instead of running parallel to it in terms of the chronology, because it all started to mix together in my head and not in a good way.

I also feel highly disappointed that despite making many jokes about pegging, this book did not actually contain pegging. I simply feel that if a book is going to talk about pegging as much as this book did then someone should actually get pegged on the page, and to not do so is an act of cowardice. I am writing a letter of complaint as we speak. (I'm joking. Mostly.)

Despite the shameful lack of pegging (and no, a throwaway line in a fanfic or a retrospective mention of someone getting pegged does not count) the sex scenes in this book were really hot and absolutely the highlight of the book. These characters had such amazing chemistry that I swear the pages were on fire. Their non-sexual relationship was also genuinely lovely and I rooted for them as a couple, but I just didn't connect with the plot as much unfortunately.

Overall this was a sweet and sexy book, but I found it was lacking a certain something. (That something being pegging.) 3/5 stars.