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Spoiler Alert #3
Ship Wrecked
After All the Feels and Spoiler Alert, Olivia Dade once again delivers a warm and wonderful romantic comedy about two co-stars who once had an incredible one-night stand—and after years of filming on the same remote island, are finally ready to yield to temptation again…
Maria’s one-night-stand—the thick-thighed, sexy Viking of a man she left without a word or a note—just reappeared. Apparently, Peter’s her surly Gods of the Gates co-star, and they’re about to spend the next six years filming on a desolate Irish island together. She still wants him…but he now wants nothing to do with her.
Peter knows this role could finally transform him from a forgettable character actor into a leading man. He also knows a failed relationship with Maria could poison the set, and he won’t sabotage his career for a woman who’s already walked away from him once. Given time, maybe they can be cooperative colleagues or friends—possibly even best friends—but not lovers again. No matter how much he aches for her.
For years, they don’t touch off-camera. But on their last night of filming, their mutual restraint finally shatters, and all their pent-up desire explodes into renewed passion. Too bad they still don’t have a future together, since Peter’s going back to Hollywood, while Maria’s returning to her native Sweden. She thinks she needs more than he can give her, but he’s determined to change her mind, and he’s spent the last six years waiting. Watching. Wanting.
His shipwrecked Swede doesn’t stand a chance.
Maria’s one-night-stand—the thick-thighed, sexy Viking of a man she left without a word or a note—just reappeared. Apparently, Peter’s her surly Gods of the Gates co-star, and they’re about to spend the next six years filming on a desolate Irish island together. She still wants him…but he now wants nothing to do with her.
Peter knows this role could finally transform him from a forgettable character actor into a leading man. He also knows a failed relationship with Maria could poison the set, and he won’t sabotage his career for a woman who’s already walked away from him once. Given time, maybe they can be cooperative colleagues or friends—possibly even best friends—but not lovers again. No matter how much he aches for her.
For years, they don’t touch off-camera. But on their last night of filming, their mutual restraint finally shatters, and all their pent-up desire explodes into renewed passion. Too bad they still don’t have a future together, since Peter’s going back to Hollywood, while Maria’s returning to her native Sweden. She thinks she needs more than he can give her, but he’s determined to change her mind, and he’s spent the last six years waiting. Watching. Wanting.
His shipwrecked Swede doesn’t stand a chance.
413 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2022
About the author
Olivia Dade
25 books4,412 followersOlivia Dade grew up an undeniable nerd, prone to ignoring the world around her as she read any book she could find. Her favorites, though, were always, always romances. As an adult, she earned an M.A. in American history and worked in a variety of jobs that required the donning of actual pants: Colonial Williamsburg interpreter, high school teacher, academic tutor, and (of course) librarian. Now, however, she has finally achieved her lifelong goal of wearing pajamas all day as a hermit-like writer and enthusiastic hag. She currently lives outside Stockholm with her delightful family and their ever-burgeoning collection of books.
*******
If you want to find me online, here’s where to go!
Website: https://oliviadade.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OliviaWrites
Newsletter: https://go.oliviadade.com/Newsletter
*******
If you want to find me online, here’s where to go!
Website: https://oliviadade.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OliviaWrites
Newsletter: https://go.oliviadade.com/Newsletter
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,668 reviews
February 12, 2023
Firstly I loved this book so much and secondly I’m clapping Leni Kauffman for creating this enchanting artwork! This cover is FANTASTIC!
Welcome back to Spoiler Alert universe with another great book introducing us fabulous characters!
The brooding, man of a few words, Viking God meets with bold, confident, social, friendly Swedish goddess! Yes! Their chemistry between them puts the pages on fire!
Peter, socially inept, recently lost his mother and dysfunctional relationship with his father, needs a big break after working too hard for years as an aspiring actor.
Thankfully new TV series about Gods of Gates can give him the opportunity he’s looking for. But there’s a big problem: His Swedish goddess co-star Maria is the same woman he had a memorable one-night stand and very same woman tiptoeing from the hotel room early without saying goodbye or leaving any phone number behind. And now they are stuck in an island, working on a series side by side maybe for years if the audiences give the green light and enough interest to their performances.
Peter is still pissed off Maria for leaving him without saying a word and when Mary approaches for a quick chat, he retaliates her with a long speech that emphasizing how they cannot be partners because they are not equal. She only worked local Swedish theaters and she doesn’t have enough experience to be series star and if she fails, she’ll fail the entire installment.
After that jerk-ish pep talk, Maria swears to make him eat his own words in long term. The enemies to lovers vibes are everywhere.
Thankfully the hostility between co stars turns into friendship and their palpable chemistry is still there! They barely restrain themselves. But what if they start a relationship which threatens the show’s future. There are too many people working with them committed to show and any possible heartbreak, breakup or argument between them could directly affect their jobs.
Even though they make it work, Maria plans to go back to Sweden after the show. She’s a big family she adores. How can they be together as they want different things from live?
Brooding Viking God Peter and social butterfly Swedish goddess Maria are perfect couple! They became my favorite couple at the Spoiler Alert universe!
It was also pleasure to read group chats to learn what happened to the previous books’ amazing characters. Alex the Cupid made me laugh so much as usual.
Overall: my emotions are everywhere! I loved the characters and their meaningful, angsty, sentimental story! I highly definitely absolutely recommend it!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
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Welcome back to Spoiler Alert universe with another great book introducing us fabulous characters!
The brooding, man of a few words, Viking God meets with bold, confident, social, friendly Swedish goddess! Yes! Their chemistry between them puts the pages on fire!
Peter, socially inept, recently lost his mother and dysfunctional relationship with his father, needs a big break after working too hard for years as an aspiring actor.
Thankfully new TV series about Gods of Gates can give him the opportunity he’s looking for. But there’s a big problem: His Swedish goddess co-star Maria is the same woman he had a memorable one-night stand and very same woman tiptoeing from the hotel room early without saying goodbye or leaving any phone number behind. And now they are stuck in an island, working on a series side by side maybe for years if the audiences give the green light and enough interest to their performances.
Peter is still pissed off Maria for leaving him without saying a word and when Mary approaches for a quick chat, he retaliates her with a long speech that emphasizing how they cannot be partners because they are not equal. She only worked local Swedish theaters and she doesn’t have enough experience to be series star and if she fails, she’ll fail the entire installment.
After that jerk-ish pep talk, Maria swears to make him eat his own words in long term. The enemies to lovers vibes are everywhere.
Thankfully the hostility between co stars turns into friendship and their palpable chemistry is still there! They barely restrain themselves. But what if they start a relationship which threatens the show’s future. There are too many people working with them committed to show and any possible heartbreak, breakup or argument between them could directly affect their jobs.
Even though they make it work, Maria plans to go back to Sweden after the show. She’s a big family she adores. How can they be together as they want different things from live?
Brooding Viking God Peter and social butterfly Swedish goddess Maria are perfect couple! They became my favorite couple at the Spoiler Alert universe!
It was also pleasure to read group chats to learn what happened to the previous books’ amazing characters. Alex the Cupid made me laugh so much as usual.
Overall: my emotions are everywhere! I loved the characters and their meaningful, angsty, sentimental story! I highly definitely absolutely recommend it!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
blog
July 23, 2022
How dare this book make me so emotional & also make me shake my kindle at the torturous s3xual tension!? How dare it make me fall in love with both its snarky, tough exterior yet secret softie leads? How dare it deploy the most absurdly adorable teasing pet names (Pippi! Skitstövel!)? Not to mention the hilarious, nerdy, too darn cute group chats between the Gods of the Gates cast members? THE EPIC PINING & WAITING? Ugh. My heart.
In short, I loved this. Full review to come!
Content notes: mentions of parental death (past, off page), infidelity (past, off page), strained parental relationship and strained family dynamics, being a child in the foster system and being adopted, fatphobic behavior and discussions of fatphobia, particularly in the entertainment industry (on page, challenged and condemned by the narrative).
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC - all opinions are my own!
In short, I loved this. Full review to come!
Content notes: mentions of parental death (past, off page), infidelity (past, off page), strained parental relationship and strained family dynamics, being a child in the foster system and being adopted, fatphobic behavior and discussions of fatphobia, particularly in the entertainment industry (on page, challenged and condemned by the narrative).
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC - all opinions are my own!
November 8, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this advanced reader copy.
This review isn’t exactly the most tactful so prepare yourself for that. This is brutally honest and pretty mean review of a popular book that I didn’t like.
Okay folks, it is very clear to me I read a different book than literally everyone else on this website that is absolutely raving over this book. It was boring. The pacing was garbage. And the characters were so flat. I legitimately believe this book (and series) is only as popular as it is because of the plus size representation that it has and the authors other attempts at being woke. Otherwise there’s nothing here.
I was so excited to receive this arc. I love a story with true body positivity and Maria represents this completely. Maria is a fat Swedish woman coming to work alongside Peter, also fat, on a hit fantasy tv series where they are stranded on a deserted island. The only issue? Maria and Peter slept together before they were cast and as a result of that neither of them are big fans of the other now. So naturally tensions arise due to their forced proximity.
One of the issues I had with this book is the author constantly telling me things instead of showing me things. She would just casually mention that a few weeks had passed and would say that Peter was thawing out towards Maria but I wanted to see it happen. I wanted to see what caused him to lower his guard and do be more welcoming of her. I wanted to feel like I was involved in the story not just receiving infrequent emails from them to update me on the situation (which is a plot point of pointless text chains that take up way too much time).
Also, there’s not a lot of interaction between the two main characters, at least in the first quarter of the book. They spend a lot of time thinking about each other but not a lot of time with each other. So it feels misleading because they don’t have a lot to do with the other but they pine like it’s nobodies business. I wanted to see them coming together and developing a bond that would sell me on their relationship but I never felt that. The author just told me they like each other, without any proof or evidence besides Peter faking an illness, to prove to me that they should be together.
I also felt incredibly disingenuous when I was reading to suddenly get Peter who just appeared to have magically gotten over his social awkwardness. He goes from someone who can barely string a few words along to make a sentence to a guy who banters with ease. Of course there’s a three month time jump where we don’t hear from either of the characters, but I enjoyed that aspect of his personality because it make him unique instead of like other romance leads who are ultra suave all the time. But that of course disappears without any real information given because again the author is telling us instead of showing us the plot developing.
Honestly, the thing I hated the most was the completely annoying SIX YEAR TIME JUMP that this books gives us. It comes out of absolutely nowhere and if I’d been smart I would have just DNF’d at that point but I’m a sucker apparently and I wanted the story to get better. But no, we just have a huge time jump at around 40 ish percent in. Nothing in the chapter heading to let anyone know, nope… just a casual comment from Peter talking about how he has wanted Maria for 6 years. That’s how we understand what’s happened. This just makes me wonder where the editor was. How can this happen and everyone else is totally fine with it? I’m irrationally angry at how this book was written. It’s a cool idea just written, paced, and plotted horribly.
The thinly veiled hate towards GoT got to become tedious. Yes we all hated the ending but creating your book with your own show where the show runners are the same and then having a dolphin slap them is just excessive and cringey. Congrats, you turned them into the obnoxious people we already knew they were…? Like, are we expected to thank you for reminding us about that trying times in all of our lives? This whole aspect was taken too far and it ran itself right into eye roll territory.
This book feels like it was written by two different people and they only vaguely discussed the book to each other before one wrote the first half and someone else wrote the ending. The beginning was messy with unexplained time jumps and one set of characters (Peter: shy and quiet, Maria: proud and confident) versus the ending (Peter: suave, Maria: insecure). Whereas the last half felt like it took forever and the author spent too much time talking about previous characters to do these characters any sense of justice. The whole thing felt like both the characters and the plot made such huge swaps that I felt like I was reading a completely separate book. Honestly this book felt like Swiss cheese there was so many holes.
If you are still with me you will see this review isn’t very positive, it’s downright mean at times. However, the body positivity is great in this one. I love a woman who is completely herself (body hair, nipples, and all), and Maria is that woman. However, the third act conflict was unbelievably inane. She’s upset with him for getting a job that would make him happy and offer financial stability. He would be gone but he offers to take her with him and she won’t go because she will miss her friends. But her plan is to go back to Sweden where she will also miss her friends because they will still be in LA? It doesn’t even make sense to me. So naturally she dumps him and forces him to realize he’s in the wrong for not wanting to be in a similar situation to what his mom was in. This is the moment I realized these characters were underdeveloped and sucked to be honest.
I wanted to like this I really did. But quite frankly I didn’t like it (I might have even hated it?), and that’s unfortunate because I was really looking forward to receiving this arc. However you can’t win them all and this one was a big swing and a miss. I’ve learned this authors writing style isn’t for me and that’s okay because I’m clearly in the minority because literally everyone else appears to love this book. It’s not for me and that’s okay.
————
If I was writing this story from scratch I would have started the book at their filmed sex scene. While they were doing that I would have flashed back to the first time they had sex then slowly followed the plot showing them coming together to fall apart to come back together again. With the ending of the story following them on their press junket as they learned to lean on each other through the hardships. No unnecessary time jumps or doing fan service by focusing so much on other characters. Just a good character study into two characters who love each other and slowly come to that realization as a true slow burn should be. ✌🏻
This review isn’t exactly the most tactful so prepare yourself for that. This is brutally honest and pretty mean review of a popular book that I didn’t like.
Okay folks, it is very clear to me I read a different book than literally everyone else on this website that is absolutely raving over this book. It was boring. The pacing was garbage. And the characters were so flat. I legitimately believe this book (and series) is only as popular as it is because of the plus size representation that it has and the authors other attempts at being woke. Otherwise there’s nothing here.
I was so excited to receive this arc. I love a story with true body positivity and Maria represents this completely. Maria is a fat Swedish woman coming to work alongside Peter, also fat, on a hit fantasy tv series where they are stranded on a deserted island. The only issue? Maria and Peter slept together before they were cast and as a result of that neither of them are big fans of the other now. So naturally tensions arise due to their forced proximity.
One of the issues I had with this book is the author constantly telling me things instead of showing me things. She would just casually mention that a few weeks had passed and would say that Peter was thawing out towards Maria but I wanted to see it happen. I wanted to see what caused him to lower his guard and do be more welcoming of her. I wanted to feel like I was involved in the story not just receiving infrequent emails from them to update me on the situation (which is a plot point of pointless text chains that take up way too much time).
Also, there’s not a lot of interaction between the two main characters, at least in the first quarter of the book. They spend a lot of time thinking about each other but not a lot of time with each other. So it feels misleading because they don’t have a lot to do with the other but they pine like it’s nobodies business. I wanted to see them coming together and developing a bond that would sell me on their relationship but I never felt that. The author just told me they like each other, without any proof or evidence besides Peter faking an illness, to prove to me that they should be together.
I also felt incredibly disingenuous when I was reading to suddenly get Peter who just appeared to have magically gotten over his social awkwardness. He goes from someone who can barely string a few words along to make a sentence to a guy who banters with ease. Of course there’s a three month time jump where we don’t hear from either of the characters, but I enjoyed that aspect of his personality because it make him unique instead of like other romance leads who are ultra suave all the time. But that of course disappears without any real information given because again the author is telling us instead of showing us the plot developing.
Honestly, the thing I hated the most was the completely annoying SIX YEAR TIME JUMP that this books gives us. It comes out of absolutely nowhere and if I’d been smart I would have just DNF’d at that point but I’m a sucker apparently and I wanted the story to get better. But no, we just have a huge time jump at around 40 ish percent in. Nothing in the chapter heading to let anyone know, nope… just a casual comment from Peter talking about how he has wanted Maria for 6 years. That’s how we understand what’s happened. This just makes me wonder where the editor was. How can this happen and everyone else is totally fine with it? I’m irrationally angry at how this book was written. It’s a cool idea just written, paced, and plotted horribly.
The thinly veiled hate towards GoT got to become tedious. Yes we all hated the ending but creating your book with your own show where the show runners are the same and then having a dolphin slap them is just excessive and cringey. Congrats, you turned them into the obnoxious people we already knew they were…? Like, are we expected to thank you for reminding us about that trying times in all of our lives? This whole aspect was taken too far and it ran itself right into eye roll territory.
This book feels like it was written by two different people and they only vaguely discussed the book to each other before one wrote the first half and someone else wrote the ending. The beginning was messy with unexplained time jumps and one set of characters (Peter: shy and quiet, Maria: proud and confident) versus the ending (Peter: suave, Maria: insecure). Whereas the last half felt like it took forever and the author spent too much time talking about previous characters to do these characters any sense of justice. The whole thing felt like both the characters and the plot made such huge swaps that I felt like I was reading a completely separate book. Honestly this book felt like Swiss cheese there was so many holes.
If you are still with me you will see this review isn’t very positive, it’s downright mean at times. However, the body positivity is great in this one. I love a woman who is completely herself (body hair, nipples, and all), and Maria is that woman. However, the third act conflict was unbelievably inane. She’s upset with him for getting a job that would make him happy and offer financial stability. He would be gone but he offers to take her with him and she won’t go because she will miss her friends. But her plan is to go back to Sweden where she will also miss her friends because they will still be in LA? It doesn’t even make sense to me. So naturally she dumps him and forces him to realize he’s in the wrong for not wanting to be in a similar situation to what his mom was in. This is the moment I realized these characters were underdeveloped and sucked to be honest.
I wanted to like this I really did. But quite frankly I didn’t like it (I might have even hated it?), and that’s unfortunate because I was really looking forward to receiving this arc. However you can’t win them all and this one was a big swing and a miss. I’ve learned this authors writing style isn’t for me and that’s okay because I’m clearly in the minority because literally everyone else appears to love this book. It’s not for me and that’s okay.
————
If I was writing this story from scratch I would have started the book at their filmed sex scene. While they were doing that I would have flashed back to the first time they had sex then slowly followed the plot showing them coming together to fall apart to come back together again. With the ending of the story following them on their press junket as they learned to lean on each other through the hardships. No unnecessary time jumps or doing fan service by focusing so much on other characters. Just a good character study into two characters who love each other and slowly come to that realization as a true slow burn should be. ✌🏻
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2023
3 stars
Based on the cover, I was soooo excited to listen to this book. I love the cover, the start of the book, and the end was good too. It had great representation, but unfortunately the pacing was really off for me, as well as missing a huge chunk of the book I felt was needed to see Peter and Maria’s relationship grow. It went from their meeting, a bit of their start of filming, then I felt like it jumped. Peter was fantastic and I loved Maria, it wasn't a bad book by any means but somethings didn’t work for me.
Based on the cover, I was soooo excited to listen to this book. I love the cover, the start of the book, and the end was good too. It had great representation, but unfortunately the pacing was really off for me, as well as missing a huge chunk of the book I felt was needed to see Peter and Maria’s relationship grow. It went from their meeting, a bit of their start of filming, then I felt like it jumped. Peter was fantastic and I loved Maria, it wasn't a bad book by any means but somethings didn’t work for me.
Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 3 stars
Narrators: Kelsey Navrro
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 12h 27m
November 19, 2022
I need all the covers in this series as prints so i can frame them and put them in my office
Want to read
March 16, 2022!!!!!!! oh my god !!!!!! WE HAVE A COVER AND I’M ON MY KNEES
olivia dade's own words:
'I (25f) fucked the thick-thighed Viking (36m) of my dreams & left before he woke up, figuring I'd never see him again...& now we're filming together on a desolate Irish island for 6 yrs, & he's surly as hell. AITA?
Actually, fuck that. I made him 0 promises. I'm NTA, *he's* TA.'
the way i will never recover from this. give it to me now.
olivia dade's own words:
'I (25f) fucked the thick-thighed Viking (36m) of my dreams & left before he woke up, figuring I'd never see him again...& now we're filming together on a desolate Irish island for 6 yrs, & he's surly as hell. AITA?
Actually, fuck that. I made him 0 promises. I'm NTA, *he's* TA.'
the way i will never recover from this. give it to me now.
April 23, 2024
2.5 stars
after dnf'ing the first two books in this series, i was convinced i wasn't going to like it and i definitely wouldn't have read it if it weren't the group book for the plus size readathon. so mark me surprised when i read this almost all in one day!
this book's saving grace is olivia finally wrote some characters that acted normal. i was sooo annoyed by the characters in the previous books and couldn't get over their terrible dialogue, so the fact that these two were so much more level-headed and serious was a major plus.
the pacing and formatting of this book is what dragged it down for me. there's significant time jumps throughout six years without even a chapter title describing that time has passed, so the storyline ended up being pretty choppy and i think this book could've worked better in a now vs then format. also this book was totally wrapped up and ready to end by like page 300 and there's 100 more dumb pages with a third act breakup and it was so unnecessary, i ended up skim reading the end.
i guarantee swedish people would probably be annoyed with this because the swedish main character likely is an embodiment of every strereotype, but as a dumb american i thought it was fun hehe. bonus points that chapter one has sex in it and BOTH main characters are fat. i loved that these actors refrained from writing fanfiction about their own characters they played on a fictional tv show but for the love of god it was still so cringy for them to talk about AO3 all the time.
after dnf'ing the first two books in this series, i was convinced i wasn't going to like it and i definitely wouldn't have read it if it weren't the group book for the plus size readathon. so mark me surprised when i read this almost all in one day!
this book's saving grace is olivia finally wrote some characters that acted normal. i was sooo annoyed by the characters in the previous books and couldn't get over their terrible dialogue, so the fact that these two were so much more level-headed and serious was a major plus.
the pacing and formatting of this book is what dragged it down for me. there's significant time jumps throughout six years without even a chapter title describing that time has passed, so the storyline ended up being pretty choppy and i think this book could've worked better in a now vs then format. also this book was totally wrapped up and ready to end by like page 300 and there's 100 more dumb pages with a third act breakup and it was so unnecessary, i ended up skim reading the end.
i guarantee swedish people would probably be annoyed with this because the swedish main character likely is an embodiment of every strereotype, but as a dumb american i thought it was fun hehe. bonus points that chapter one has sex in it and BOTH main characters are fat. i loved that these actors refrained from writing fanfiction about their own characters they played on a fictional tv show but for the love of god it was still so cringy for them to talk about AO3 all the time.
August 20, 2022
3.5 stars - Bonus points for starting a romance mid-thrust of a one night stand - and somehow still making the book a slow burn. I'm not sure the elements all came together to make this a home run, but I really did enjoy our main characters! Maria in particular was so compelling to follow, and I believed the chemistry between her and Peter.
December 12, 2022
I have a lot of mixed emotions about Ship Wrecked, the latest in the Spoiler Alert series by Olivia Dade. While there was a lot of good there, this book also had a few big flaws that kept me from rating it more than three stars.
I think Olivia Dade did better with this one than with book two in the series, which was a bust for me, but I still varied wildly in my feelings about this story from chapter to chapter. I loved the sex scenes in the beginning but then... poof. The book seemed to grind to a halt and then there was endless chapters and even a huge time skip where not too much happened. I got tired of the drawn-out storyline and the constant references to pickled herring and the same catch phrases repeated over and over. The pining and the nitty gritty of filming was mildly interesting, but the middle of the book felt very long for me. Then, of course, things started to pick up again (yay!) but then the conflict at the end of the story sort of killed my buzz. In short: I think this author has some pacing issues.
I really enjoyed how the female MC refused to conform to expectations of her (re:shaving, losing weight) and was super firm in her stance and extremely confident. It was fabulous to read. I enjoyed the way these two really adored each other, which is why the conflict that kept them apart just felt so flimsy and unsatisfying.
I'm not mad at this story, I just felt like it was overly long and not as good as the first in the series. However, I still think readers in general will enjoy it, despite its flaws.
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I think Olivia Dade did better with this one than with book two in the series, which was a bust for me, but I still varied wildly in my feelings about this story from chapter to chapter. I loved the sex scenes in the beginning but then... poof. The book seemed to grind to a halt and then there was endless chapters and even a huge time skip where not too much happened. I got tired of the drawn-out storyline and the constant references to pickled herring and the same catch phrases repeated over and over. The pining and the nitty gritty of filming was mildly interesting, but the middle of the book felt very long for me. Then, of course, things started to pick up again (yay!) but then the conflict at the end of the story sort of killed my buzz. In short: I think this author has some pacing issues.
I really enjoyed how the female MC refused to conform to expectations of her (re:shaving, losing weight) and was super firm in her stance and extremely confident. It was fabulous to read. I enjoyed the way these two really adored each other, which is why the conflict that kept them apart just felt so flimsy and unsatisfying.
I'm not mad at this story, I just felt like it was overly long and not as good as the first in the series. However, I still think readers in general will enjoy it, despite its flaws.
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May 28, 2022
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
4.75/5 ⭐️s
Fat main characters. That was 95% of my excitement for this book going into it, but by the time I finished, it seemed like such a small selling point compared to the rest of the story (because it’s just that good).
Maria and Peter feel immediate sparks when they meet, and it’s only a few hours before they’re acting on that attraction. After spending the night together though, Maria leaves without saying goodbye…only to see Peter again when he’s cast as her co-star on Gods of the Gates. The co-star she’ll be filming with…on an isolated island…for six seasons.
I’ve loved Maria and Peter since Spoiler Alert, and I was so excited for their book! I loved that Olivia gave them this back story of lovers turned friends before finally exploring their romance. Their mutual respect and adoration for each other was so evident, and the chemistry was INTENSE. It made the eventual payoff of them finally acting on their feelings all the better.
Olivia’s stories are always very character-driven, so I don’t know why I’m surprised these two characters were so well-developed outside of their romance. Peter and Maria both have skeletons in their closets, and those pasts really drive their choices in this story. What I loved most though is that, despite both being fat, that is never a stand out characteristic. They’re fat. It’s not what drives them as characters. It’s a trait as simple as her blonde hair or his taciturn demeanor. A+++ for that choice, Olivia.
And, in the middle of all of that, we’re still gifted with laugh-out-loud moments with the rest of the Gods of the Gates cast and Maria’s family!
This book is genuinely one of my perfect reads. I laughed, I swooned, I got a little squirmy during the spicy scenes, and I cried (that epilogue!!) I’m sad to say goodbye to this series as a whole, but Maria and Peter’s story was the perfect finale!
Spice: 2.75/5 🌶
4.75/5 ⭐️s
Fat main characters. That was 95% of my excitement for this book going into it, but by the time I finished, it seemed like such a small selling point compared to the rest of the story (because it’s just that good).
Maria and Peter feel immediate sparks when they meet, and it’s only a few hours before they’re acting on that attraction. After spending the night together though, Maria leaves without saying goodbye…only to see Peter again when he’s cast as her co-star on Gods of the Gates. The co-star she’ll be filming with…on an isolated island…for six seasons.
I’ve loved Maria and Peter since Spoiler Alert, and I was so excited for their book! I loved that Olivia gave them this back story of lovers turned friends before finally exploring their romance. Their mutual respect and adoration for each other was so evident, and the chemistry was INTENSE. It made the eventual payoff of them finally acting on their feelings all the better.
Olivia’s stories are always very character-driven, so I don’t know why I’m surprised these two characters were so well-developed outside of their romance. Peter and Maria both have skeletons in their closets, and those pasts really drive their choices in this story. What I loved most though is that, despite both being fat, that is never a stand out characteristic. They’re fat. It’s not what drives them as characters. It’s a trait as simple as her blonde hair or his taciturn demeanor. A+++ for that choice, Olivia.
And, in the middle of all of that, we’re still gifted with laugh-out-loud moments with the rest of the Gods of the Gates cast and Maria’s family!
This book is genuinely one of my perfect reads. I laughed, I swooned, I got a little squirmy during the spicy scenes, and I cried (that epilogue!!) I’m sad to say goodbye to this series as a whole, but Maria and Peter’s story was the perfect finale!
Spice: 2.75/5 🌶
September 17, 2022
I am so sorry I know so many people love Olivia Dade's writing but unfortunately this book was not for me (as much as I wanted it to be). I've heard All The Feels is super good, so I will try that again down the line I promise!
Before I launch into what didn't work for me, I wanted to highlight the elements that did work:
-I understood the characters' motivations and their central conflict completely. Central conflict seemed like something actors in a relationship would definitely have to face, so I loved that realism
-body positivity and plus size rep was fantastic. Olivia wrote two fat actors in Hollywood and showed the fatphobia they faced by production and the industry. It was upsetting to read and I'm sure very true to plus-size actors in the entertainment business unfortunately
-loved setting this on a TV show set and how the storyline of the show paralleled the relationship between Maria and Peter
-great spice
So you might be asking yourself, "Rachel - this all sounds great! Why are you rating it so low? Are you just a miserable person?" While that last question could warrant an answer that goes either way, I can speak to why I'm rating it so low.
Mainly - I just do not respond well to Olivia Dade's writing style. Her writing is the exact opposite of to the point here. A character asks another character a question and hmmmm maybe six pages go by before that character ever responds because they're wrapped up in an internal monologue. Olivia Dade robs herself of any momentum by pacing her conversations so disjointly in my opinion. It is just not a tight book at all.
Her writing is super descriptive, which isn't a bad thing but she describes things that do not matter to the main story for pages and pages and pages. I ended up skimming the second half of this because most of what she was writing didn't resonate to the relationship of Maria and Peter in my opinion.
And not only do the random pages of internal monologues and descriptions get to me, but the time jumps of it all. You would think this story would take place on the tv set a majority of the time. Forced proximity! Acting through their feelings! Would've been so angsty and great! But no - there is a SIX year time jump and whatever fun and delicious tension that could've been built up on set just disappears in a flash.
The pacing of the story didn't work for me and the pacing of their relationship didn't work for me either. It was very much at zero for a lot of the time then just zoomed to 100 in a heartbeat. And a lot of their scenes just felt like "standard romcom scenes" that romcoms "need" to have. Because yes - the romance genre by definition has to hit certain emotional points throughout the story and certain scenes need to happen. However, a good romance writer hides the skeleton of their plot and character development in having their characters act in a realistic way. And unfortunately in Ship Wrecked, the scenes were obviously written just to check a box and not because it served the story in any way in my opinion.
Her writing felt reminiscent of both Tessa Bailey's and Sarah Hogle's to me, but not as successful. Tessa for the spiciness and Sarah for the shy hero-ness.
Both of these characters read as self-righteous to me too. Even though I understood their motivations and could empathize with them both, their actions to me sometimes read as selfish, obstinant and out of touch. Which SUCKS!!!! I was rooting for Peter!!!! I want more fat heroes in romance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thick thighs are hot and we don't talk about that enough as a society.
This is mean I know I'm being mean I kinda hate myself for it but I just don't feel right rating it higher than two stars.
Before I launch into what didn't work for me, I wanted to highlight the elements that did work:
-I understood the characters' motivations and their central conflict completely. Central conflict seemed like something actors in a relationship would definitely have to face, so I loved that realism
-body positivity and plus size rep was fantastic. Olivia wrote two fat actors in Hollywood and showed the fatphobia they faced by production and the industry. It was upsetting to read and I'm sure very true to plus-size actors in the entertainment business unfortunately
-loved setting this on a TV show set and how the storyline of the show paralleled the relationship between Maria and Peter
-great spice
So you might be asking yourself, "Rachel - this all sounds great! Why are you rating it so low? Are you just a miserable person?" While that last question could warrant an answer that goes either way, I can speak to why I'm rating it so low.
Mainly - I just do not respond well to Olivia Dade's writing style. Her writing is the exact opposite of to the point here. A character asks another character a question and hmmmm maybe six pages go by before that character ever responds because they're wrapped up in an internal monologue. Olivia Dade robs herself of any momentum by pacing her conversations so disjointly in my opinion. It is just not a tight book at all.
Her writing is super descriptive, which isn't a bad thing but she describes things that do not matter to the main story for pages and pages and pages. I ended up skimming the second half of this because most of what she was writing didn't resonate to the relationship of Maria and Peter in my opinion.
And not only do the random pages of internal monologues and descriptions get to me, but the time jumps of it all. You would think this story would take place on the tv set a majority of the time. Forced proximity! Acting through their feelings! Would've been so angsty and great! But no - there is a SIX year time jump and whatever fun and delicious tension that could've been built up on set just disappears in a flash.
The pacing of the story didn't work for me and the pacing of their relationship didn't work for me either. It was very much at zero for a lot of the time then just zoomed to 100 in a heartbeat. And a lot of their scenes just felt like "standard romcom scenes" that romcoms "need" to have. Because yes - the romance genre by definition has to hit certain emotional points throughout the story and certain scenes need to happen. However, a good romance writer hides the skeleton of their plot and character development in having their characters act in a realistic way. And unfortunately in Ship Wrecked, the scenes were obviously written just to check a box and not because it served the story in any way in my opinion.
Her writing felt reminiscent of both Tessa Bailey's and Sarah Hogle's to me, but not as successful. Tessa for the spiciness and Sarah for the shy hero-ness.
Both of these characters read as self-righteous to me too. Even though I understood their motivations and could empathize with them both, their actions to me sometimes read as selfish, obstinant and out of touch. Which SUCKS!!!! I was rooting for Peter!!!! I want more fat heroes in romance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thick thighs are hot and we don't talk about that enough as a society.
This is mean I know I'm being mean I kinda hate myself for it but I just don't feel right rating it higher than two stars.
October 12, 2022
Listen, Olivia Dade just does not miss for me! Is this review unbiased? Probably not. Is her brand of fat-positive rom-com my catnip? Absolutely!
Ship Wrecked is the latest book in her Spoiler Alert series, and this time we have a fat hero as well! Maria is a Swedish actress who has a one-night stand with Peter, right before they are cast in a big fantasy TV show acting opposite one another! Maria is statuesque and completely at home in her body, which I love to see.
This book covers a number of years and we get a lot of nuance to the character's relationship and (eventually) how their pasts have contributed to their romantic hang-ups. This perfectly balances humor with more serious issues. It's sexy and body-positive without fetishizing OR erasing the fatness of the characters. And they both feel like real, fully embodied people rather than tropes or stereotypes. It's not my personal favorite of the series, but all of them have been 5 stars for me. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Ship Wrecked is the latest book in her Spoiler Alert series, and this time we have a fat hero as well! Maria is a Swedish actress who has a one-night stand with Peter, right before they are cast in a big fantasy TV show acting opposite one another! Maria is statuesque and completely at home in her body, which I love to see.
This book covers a number of years and we get a lot of nuance to the character's relationship and (eventually) how their pasts have contributed to their romantic hang-ups. This perfectly balances humor with more serious issues. It's sexy and body-positive without fetishizing OR erasing the fatness of the characters. And they both feel like real, fully embodied people rather than tropes or stereotypes. It's not my personal favorite of the series, but all of them have been 5 stars for me. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
October 31, 2022
The scene and character work with Maria and Peter was simply exceptional. I laughed, I swooned, I loved how sexual and open and comfortable Maria was and how much Peter pined and patiently waited to express his interest and love for Maria. The scenes of them filming in the stark conditions and Peter standing up for Maria and Maria refusing to allow the producers to starve them to lose weight for the TV show were excellent.
The overall plot and what was keeping Peter and Maria from their HEA didn't quite work out for me, and having their romance take place in the timeline of the other two books in this series also took me out of it a little bit as well.
Overall, a solid story and LOVED the characters so much.
Thank you to Avon for the advance review copy.
The overall plot and what was keeping Peter and Maria from their HEA didn't quite work out for me, and having their romance take place in the timeline of the other two books in this series also took me out of it a little bit as well.
Overall, a solid story and LOVED the characters so much.
Thank you to Avon for the advance review copy.
January 6, 2023
This was super cute. I feel like finally in this series we get to see how the show is made & actual acting! I also enjoyed the second chance romance of this! All the yearning! Overall I still think Spoiler Alert is my favorite in this series still but this one is a close second!
November 28, 2022
I’ll review when the HC strike ends.
Read
April 5, 2023do not ask me to elaborate but this book reminds me of the sims in a bad way
June 13, 2023
2 stars
I loved the premise but this book failed me. The pacing was horrible and the only attraction these character's have for each other is just sexual.
Trigger Warnings: body shaming, fatmisia, death of parent(s), abandonment, and infidelity (not between h/H)
I loved the premise but this book failed me. The pacing was horrible and the only attraction these character's have for each other is just sexual.
Trigger Warnings: body shaming, fatmisia, death of parent(s), abandonment, and infidelity (not between h/H)
January 18, 2023
4.75 ⭐️ Does it come as a surprise – to literally anyone– that I’m five staring an Olivia Dade’s book?
Nope - nor it should. When people ask me what kind of books I like, I often point them to 40-Love, because that’s my taste in books in a nutshell.
I’d read a couple of mixed reviews about this one, and I was admittedly a bit nervous at first, but I should’ve had faith! The thing is, I don’t believe in ‘faith’. I’ve always told people that the place where faith is in everyone else, mine’s either empty or nonexistent… and I’m not kidding. Faith implies blind trust, and that’s just not a thing I possess – and if I ever did, I certainly don’t anymore. My trust is hard heard… and Olivia Dade has it. Full stop.
I’ve read every book of hers that I can get my hands on. I’ve certainty read every book in this series – I own them now forever (or at least as long as eBooks exist) – and every single one of them has manage to overwhelm me in the most beautiful ways. They bring hope and happiness to my very cynical-yet-romantic heart and make me hopeful for beautiful, complex, imperfect, gorgeous people to be just out and about out there in the world. This book was no exception to that rule.
Peter and Maria are an absolute delight to read about. I, personally, feel like a Maria in my heart– or at least a short, brunette, dark eyed version of her who hates the gym. This character spoke to me in ways that not many do; specifically her personality, her outlook on life and what she wants in the future. Her understanding of her needs and the unwillingness to burn down her own boundaries just to please the people around her was such a breath of fresh air, and I loved how empowered she was. Even in her lowest points, she always fought to stay true to herself while protecting others as well. She was never malicious, or sought out to hurt anyone, but she wasn’t willing to let other’s hurt her or who she was. She’s chaotic goodness personified and she’s the impish angel I’ve always aspired to be.
Also, rounding up the storylines for the God of the Gates cast was exactly what I needed this week! Now I want to reread them all, get into Marcus’ story again and watch him fall head over heels in love with April, his perfect Lavinia/cyberfriend, in a crowed restaurant; or watch Alex be completely unhinged around Lauren’s zero-shit attitude, that helped both bringing him down to earth and made him feel safe as he flies away in his AO3 inspired fantasies. Which, by the way, can we talk about that? If an author makes a series based on how much real, successful people love fanfics and AO3… Sorry (not sorry), but it immediately sends said book into the 3.5 / 4 star realm for me.
The reason why I’m reticent to give this book the full 5 stars is because 1) Age gaps where the dude is 10+ years older than the heroine are so much a pet peeve of mine at this point. They are EVERYWHERE! And they kind of creep me out; and 2) The six yearlong blue balls hurt me more than they hurt them. I just wanted a measly crumb of romance, and instead we got tension for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I was personally more than happy to skip and time jump through it, as I’m not the biggest fan of the slow-burn. This was a bit painful, but this level of it I could take.
Overall, this was the perfect ending for an amazingly wonderful series!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5
🌶️🌶️/ 5
December 27, 2022
3 Stars for Shipwrecked: Spoiler Alert, Book 3 (audiobook) by Olivia Dade read by Kelsey Navarro.
I enjoyed the first book more. I liked the premise of this one but much of this story didn’t work for me.
I enjoyed the first book more. I liked the premise of this one but much of this story didn’t work for me.
November 21, 2022
4 stars
Such a satisfying end to this series! A slow-burn friendship with tension, lots of room for quiet dramas and growth, and a sweet romance at its core.
Characters: ★★★ 1/2
Plot/Pacing: ★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★
Please Note: This book is the third installment in the Spoiler Alert series by Olivia Dade. While this is technically a standalone romantic story between two characters, I highly recommend reading this series in order to get the full context. There are a TON of references to the first two books in this one, and Maria and Peter's story exists in a dense bubble of context references from the other books.
Maria and Peter are both costars on the same TV show, Guardians of the Gates. It's a Game of Thrones-esque show with an international following and a lot of drama and character arcs.
Their characters play two isolated gods who have been stranded on a remote island with just the two of them.
It's just them. And a small production crew. On a very small island. Staying in a limited-space boutique inn.
Why does this matter, you ask?
Because Maria and Peter had an explosive, no-holds-barred sexy one night stand the night before they both landed roles on Guardians of the Gates. After one night of perfect passion, the last thing either of them thought would happen would be to see each other again. And now they're not just seeing each other—they're acting face to face, in a remote location, for several years of filming.
It's not... shall we say... ideal. Especially when their passion still exists, and yet personal hang-ups and a desire to maintain professional boundaries keeps them from ripping each other's clothes off and resuming their hot-HOT chemistry.
Can these two costars make it through the slowest burn of their lives? What will happen once they have the space to make their own decisions?
Ooooooh, oh. Ship Wrecked was fun, y'all. I enjoyed it very much. The tension, the soft drama, the dual points-of-view of two characters and their unique torture of falling in love while being unable to admit it?? Delicious.
This was a very sweet end to a wonderful romance trilogy. I think fans of Spoiler Alert and All the Feels will be quite satisfied. I definitely was! While this one had the most worldbuilding context and the least amount of fanfiction references—the first two books were heavily influenced by fanfiction internet culture—I do think Maria and Peter's story fit the series. And, just as important, Ship Wrecked provided a happily-ever-after ending for all of the people we've grown to love over the series.
Thank you to Avon for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
Blog | Instagram
Such a satisfying end to this series! A slow-burn friendship with tension, lots of room for quiet dramas and growth, and a sweet romance at its core.
Characters: ★★★ 1/2
Plot/Pacing: ★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★
Please Note: This book is the third installment in the Spoiler Alert series by Olivia Dade. While this is technically a standalone romantic story between two characters, I highly recommend reading this series in order to get the full context. There are a TON of references to the first two books in this one, and Maria and Peter's story exists in a dense bubble of context references from the other books.
Maria and Peter are both costars on the same TV show, Guardians of the Gates. It's a Game of Thrones-esque show with an international following and a lot of drama and character arcs.
Their characters play two isolated gods who have been stranded on a remote island with just the two of them.
It's just them. And a small production crew. On a very small island. Staying in a limited-space boutique inn.
Why does this matter, you ask?
Because Maria and Peter had an explosive, no-holds-barred sexy one night stand the night before they both landed roles on Guardians of the Gates. After one night of perfect passion, the last thing either of them thought would happen would be to see each other again. And now they're not just seeing each other—they're acting face to face, in a remote location, for several years of filming.
It's not... shall we say... ideal. Especially when their passion still exists, and yet personal hang-ups and a desire to maintain professional boundaries keeps them from ripping each other's clothes off and resuming their hot-HOT chemistry.
Can these two costars make it through the slowest burn of their lives? What will happen once they have the space to make their own decisions?
Ooooooh, oh. Ship Wrecked was fun, y'all. I enjoyed it very much. The tension, the soft drama, the dual points-of-view of two characters and their unique torture of falling in love while being unable to admit it?? Delicious.
This was a very sweet end to a wonderful romance trilogy. I think fans of Spoiler Alert and All the Feels will be quite satisfied. I definitely was! While this one had the most worldbuilding context and the least amount of fanfiction references—the first two books were heavily influenced by fanfiction internet culture—I do think Maria and Peter's story fit the series. And, just as important, Ship Wrecked provided a happily-ever-after ending for all of the people we've grown to love over the series.
Thank you to Avon for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
Blog | Instagram
August 4, 2022
So much love for this one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This book wrecked me!
I really fell for this one. I was a bit hesitant to start, but OMG, I just love these two together!
Peter is so uncomfortable in his own skin but these two together are fire. Ship Wrecked is funny as heck, smoldering hot, and super sexy! Dade fires up this story with so much detail, wit, and energy you cannot wait to turn the next page!
I simply fell for this story! This is definitely one that you will re-read several times to catch every nuance of the powerful, yet subtle humor and exquisite storyline. I have so much love for this one!
Do yourself a favor and check it out as soon as possible!
* copy received for review consideration
* full review - https://amidlifewife.com/ship-wrecked...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This book wrecked me!
I really fell for this one. I was a bit hesitant to start, but OMG, I just love these two together!
Peter is so uncomfortable in his own skin but these two together are fire. Ship Wrecked is funny as heck, smoldering hot, and super sexy! Dade fires up this story with so much detail, wit, and energy you cannot wait to turn the next page!
I simply fell for this story! This is definitely one that you will re-read several times to catch every nuance of the powerful, yet subtle humor and exquisite storyline. I have so much love for this one!
Do yourself a favor and check it out as soon as possible!
* copy received for review consideration
* full review - https://amidlifewife.com/ship-wrecked...
January 5, 2023
This one wasn’t for me but I think it will be a hit with others. From the first couple pages I was struggling to get into the story. I loved the idea of the plot and the synopsis sounded right up my alley but unfortunately I couldn’t care for the characters. They both seemed immature and had no idea how to just communicate with one another. I didn’t find either of them to be relatable which made it hard for me to connect with them. The writing wasn’t my favorite because the author focused more on telling the reader something happened instead of showing us. This ultimately made me feel even more disconnected from the characters. Overall, this one was okay. I’d recommend you give it a try for yourself.
Thank you so much @avonbooks for the gifted copy on Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you so much @avonbooks for the gifted copy on Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 7, 2022
This series has been a wild ride for me. We started strong, took a hard left into mostly nope, but then we are ending (right? it felt like the end!) on a mostly better note.. which I'm happy about.
I'll admit, though, this started off rough. But not literally. Chapter one? Hoo boy hot. Chapter two? My reaction to the Peter's behaviour was the buzziest of buzzkills. Eventually we get the reasons why but his defrosting was tough. Meanwhile Maria was delightful always. My only real issue was her quick pivot on her feelings for Peter out of nowhere offpage.
Naturally I hated the third act conflict but that's mostly because it felt a miscommunication-adjacent and I hate that trope.
I'm definitely here (again, always!) for all the positive rep. But the highlight, as always, was the snarky commentary around this not-GoT but definitely GoT show at the centre of the plot. It's incredibly satisfying. It's also a little fanfic-y in of itself for all the people who were real-life shipping two characters who were mostly, sorta, embodied by Peter and Maria. Basically all the homages to everything around the show and actors were (chefs kiss) the best.
Having said that, once again, I'm hear to warn you away from playing drinking games; this time the keywords had to go with goats, herring, and other over-used bits used for increasingly lackluster and tired banter the longer it all went on.
But when the romance was in the transition from pining to confessions and then actually together? Delightful. The pre and post bits? I could leave them. The group chat threads? Hysterical. So, yes, equal parts fun and not fun. All that to say, I will definitely make an effort to dive into Dade's backlist and continue to pick up whatever she does next.
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
I'll admit, though, this started off rough. But not literally. Chapter one? Hoo boy hot. Chapter two? My reaction to the Peter's behaviour was the buzziest of buzzkills. Eventually we get the reasons why but his defrosting was tough. Meanwhile Maria was delightful always. My only real issue was her quick pivot on her feelings for Peter out of nowhere offpage.
Naturally I hated the third act conflict but that's mostly because it felt a miscommunication-adjacent and I hate that trope.
I'm definitely here (again, always!) for all the positive rep. But the highlight, as always, was the snarky commentary around this not-GoT but definitely GoT show at the centre of the plot. It's incredibly satisfying. It's also a little fanfic-y in of itself for all the people who were real-life shipping two characters who were mostly, sorta, embodied by Peter and Maria. Basically all the homages to everything around the show and actors were (chefs kiss) the best.
Having said that, once again, I'm hear to warn you away from playing drinking games; this time the keywords had to go with goats, herring, and other over-used bits used for increasingly lackluster and tired banter the longer it all went on.
But when the romance was in the transition from pining to confessions and then actually together? Delightful. The pre and post bits? I could leave them. The group chat threads? Hysterical. So, yes, equal parts fun and not fun. All that to say, I will definitely make an effort to dive into Dade's backlist and continue to pick up whatever she does next.
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
February 21, 2023
Olivia Dade has written another great entry in her Spoiler Alert series. She excels at giving us body diverse and neurodiverse characters who feel authentic while also managing to be actors in the hottest TV show around. Ship Wrecked focuses on Maria and Peter, who meet and have a one night stand before landing spots in Gods of the Gate. The job will require them to work on an isolated island for most of the year, with only each other (and the crew) as companions. Peter is determined to keep things professional, while Maria would like nothing more than to explore their budding connection.
The book is funny, sexy, super hot, and also a roman a clef for the Game of Thrones series. Even if you're not a big GOT fan, you'll recognize and enjoy the "ripped from the headlines" portions of the book. But of course, the best part is watching these two super-compatible characters come together and find true love.
36-Word Summaries:
Laine: Maria is excellent at making a family wherever she goes and Peter isn't. Which is a bummer because they had awesome sex before they realized they'd be working together, and those two things are mutually exclusive?
Meg: It’s a total drag when your hot one night stand turns into your hot coworker, especially when he decides to “keep things professional” (i.e. no sex). Worse? Turns out he’s not all that supportive, professionally.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
The book is funny, sexy, super hot, and also a roman a clef for the Game of Thrones series. Even if you're not a big GOT fan, you'll recognize and enjoy the "ripped from the headlines" portions of the book. But of course, the best part is watching these two super-compatible characters come together and find true love.
36-Word Summaries:
Laine: Maria is excellent at making a family wherever she goes and Peter isn't. Which is a bummer because they had awesome sex before they realized they'd be working together, and those two things are mutually exclusive?
Meg: It’s a total drag when your hot one night stand turns into your hot coworker, especially when he decides to “keep things professional” (i.e. no sex). Worse? Turns out he’s not all that supportive, professionally.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
May 5, 2023
The smut in this was TOP MF TIER let me start with that. I went into this book blind and sheesh I was not disappointed. With that being said, I’m rating this 3 stars only because I feel like some of the chapters just kept going on. I also love the body positivity rep that’s in this book. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
February 6, 2023
There where parts of the relationship and plot I enjoyed. The couple's story and struggles was well done but I didn't quite feel invested in the book overall. Like Olivia Fades writing but this couple wasn't a complete win for me
December 18, 2022
This is the third book in a series (although mostly it’s just a shared pool of characters). I have to start with that I loved the first book a lot and thought I would be an instant fan. I thought the second book wasn’t too bad. And this one is just ok, so I may have to rethink my auto-fan status. I will say that Olivia Dade writes with a good amount of humor but some bits that should have been funny fell flat for me. Like a 35ish year old man thinking “fee-fees” for feelings to himself. I liked the two characters and the crazy slow burn was fine it just all didn’t grab me as much as I wanted. The group chat bits with the whole cast were by and far the best parts for me.
February 20, 2023
Olivia Dade is a legend and I love these books so much
July 9, 2022
C/W:
Ship Wrecked was an enjoyable conclusion to the Spoiler Alert series. The story follows Gods of the Gates stars Maria and Peter over roughly six years from their first meeting the night before being cast in their roles through the show's finale.
I will really, really miss reading books in the Spoiler Alert universe. Dade has created such a rich, interesting world filled with so many lovable side characters. As someone who still isn't over the final season of Game of Thrones, I love the many little GoT call-outs and easter eggs. Ship Wrecked covers the entire timeline of the Gates of the Gods show, which allows us to see major events from other Spoiler Alert novels from new perspectives. This storytelling device did a great job linking the three books together.
Surprisingly, the biggest thing I struggled with in Ship Wrecked was the character development. I usually find Dade's characters wonderfully three-dimensional but Maria and Peter were largely defined by a few character traits. Maria is outgoing and charming. Peter is shy and deeply driven by his career. These are great building blocks for characters but I kept hoping for more to these characters -- particularly from a book that is about 400 pages.
Though I didn't enjoy Ship Wrecked quite as much as the other Spoiler Alert books, I still found this an entertaining story in a world I wish we were getting more stories in.
Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Ship Wrecked was an enjoyable conclusion to the Spoiler Alert series. The story follows Gods of the Gates stars Maria and Peter over roughly six years from their first meeting the night before being cast in their roles through the show's finale.
I will really, really miss reading books in the Spoiler Alert universe. Dade has created such a rich, interesting world filled with so many lovable side characters. As someone who still isn't over the final season of Game of Thrones, I love the many little GoT call-outs and easter eggs. Ship Wrecked covers the entire timeline of the Gates of the Gods show, which allows us to see major events from other Spoiler Alert novels from new perspectives. This storytelling device did a great job linking the three books together.
Surprisingly, the biggest thing I struggled with in Ship Wrecked was the character development. I usually find Dade's characters wonderfully three-dimensional but Maria and Peter were largely defined by a few character traits. Maria is outgoing and charming. Peter is shy and deeply driven by his career. These are great building blocks for characters but I kept hoping for more to these characters -- particularly from a book that is about 400 pages.
Though I didn't enjoy Ship Wrecked quite as much as the other Spoiler Alert books, I still found this an entertaining story in a world I wish we were getting more stories in.
Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 13, 2022
I really enjoyed Spoiler Alert series , so I was so excited that I got to read this book early! The body positivity in this book is so good. The romance between Maria and Peter was so endearing.
The pinning trope was executed great and their chemistry was off the charts.I am so happy to conclude this series, and that I decided to pick it up in the first place.
Ship Wrecked was a very fun, charming, and lovely read! I can't wait to see what Olivia Dade gifts us next.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.
The pinning trope was executed great and their chemistry was off the charts.I am so happy to conclude this series, and that I decided to pick it up in the first place.
Ship Wrecked was a very fun, charming, and lovely read! I can't wait to see what Olivia Dade gifts us next.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.
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