BLOGTOBER DAY THREE: Spoiler Alert Review

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
Publication Date: October 6, 2020

TW: fatphobia, strained relationships with parents

We both got ARCs of this one! Bree via a Goodreads giveaway & Tree via NetGalley. We then decided to buddy read it which DID NOT happen, but we still wanted to post a joint review since we rarely read the same books anytime close to each other.

Synopsis: Spoiler Alert follows April, an avid fanfiction writer of the popular TV show Gods of the Gates, who occasionally cosplays, and Marcus, the star of said show who secretly writes fanfiction to fix all his irritations with the show. When April tweets of photo of her newest cosplay and gets a ton of fatphobic responses, Marcus swoops in and asks her out on a date. Neither of them know that they’ve been online fandom friends for years. This totally feels like the adult romance version of Geekerella by Ashley Poston, which is one of our faves.

What We Liked: 

• I (Tree) read a lot of fanfiction. Even though I don’t write fanfiction or am really a part of any fandoms (anymore lol), I have seen the connection that fanfiction writers create with each other and I adored seeing that portrayed in this novel.
  • It also made me nostalgic for fanfiction and I definitely read a bunch the next evening
• April and Marcus are both realistic character with relatable struggles and baggage.
• I (Bree) really loved Marcus’ complete enrapturement any time April got going on a nerdy science reel.
  • Flip side: I also loved how enthused April got every time she was explaining the science behind something, because like same.
• They go on a date to a museum, and honestly the entire thing is adorable. We especially loved the part with the earthquake simulator! *wink*
• Almost the entire story takes place in Berkeley, and as California natives, we always enjoy a cute book that takes place in our home state.
• Throughout the book there’s conversations about book-to-movie adaptations and how Hollywood has a habit of beautifying everything and washing away all the ugly of parts.
• At the end of each chapter there is extra content! It’s a mixture of bits of fanfiction, Marcus’ group chats, and movie scripts from his past.
  • Marcus’ group chat with his costars is hilarious!! Lowkey we could read an entire book about their time filming the show via text messages. [The text exchanges were Bree’s favorite part of the book.]
• Honestly, Marcus and Alex’s friendship was a treasure.
  • I (Bree) loved how Marcus could just call up Alex any time of the night because of girl problems and Alex didn’t even blink an eye. Also, the fact they binge watch The Great British Baking Show together.

What We Didn’t Like: 

• There’s some time slippage as Marcus & April’s relationship progresses. Honestly it might have been an entire month that was skipped as they “got serious.”
• The ending conflict was a bit annoying (we all knew it was coming) and then it wrapped itself up a bit too neatly.

Bree’s Overall Thoughts: I really loved this book and all of the characters in it. I especially related to April and her toxic family situation. I was more than happy to see her set that shit straight. Upon finishing this book I found out that Marcus’ best friend, Alex, is getting his own book!! I’m quite excited about that since he was my favorite character. (Sorry Marcus & April.) I’m hoping then trend continues and Marcus’s other costar, Carah, gets her own book too.
5/5 stars

Tree’s Overall Thoughts: Olivia Dade is becoming one of my favorite romance writers and I am hyped seeing all the love for this novel. This novel is an ode to fanfiction writers and those who may not see themselves as the heroine in their favorite shows. I laughed, I cried, I cheered at April cutting ties with toxic family members, and LOL’d at the subtle Game of Thrones bashing! I already want to reread this one and hope to pick up a copy at some point.
4.5/5 stars

xoxo, Bree & Tree