Ship Wrecked

I loved this so much!!! I laughed out loud through 5 scenes. Five! That's a new record for me. I could barely breathe through Peter's recitation of Swedish aggression I was laughing so hard. And as usual for an Olivia Dade novel, there's body positivity and tricky family dynamics that make it hard for the MCs to give themselves over to love but are handled so sensitively in-story. Characters communicate, even as they work through their own roadblocks.

I love the found family in an isolated shooting location. I continue to love the group chats and overall love between the Gods of the Gates cast. (Except for Ian. Fuck that guy.) I just love this world so much. Sadly, the epilogue hints that this is the end of the series and if it is, this show more is a lovely way to end it. It's a lovely story. show less

It's a romance novel, and that means that sometimes you don't necessarily buy all the internal drama that keeps people apart. However, since it's this romance novel -- all I wanted to do was have the story linger on so I could spend more time with the charming and delightful characters as they sort their crap out. I love that Dade is continuing to explore the world of Spoiler Alert -- long may she continue! I loved Maria and Peter. I loved the behind-the-scenes lives of the stars, and the re-enactment stuff they incorporate into their filming. So fascinating, so satisfying.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.

Peter and Maria had a one night stand, and when Maria left the hotel room while Peter was sleeping, he expected to never see her again. Except then he did at his audition that afternoon, where they were both cast in the television series, Gods of the Gates, for roles that required the two of them to work only with each other and a small crew on a small Irish island. For years. For everyone's sake, they decided not to pursue a relationship but after 6 years, the show is ending. As Peter and Maria explore the idea of dating, they'll have to determine if they can overcome their past experiences to turn their outstanding chemistry into a real relationship.

The third book in the Spoiler Alert, again overlaps in timelines with the previous two show more books, although almost half of this novel takes place before the previous two books. Peter and Maria's relationship is supposed to be a slow burn and the book struggles a bit with the pacing of it. I feel like the structure of the book didn't quite do justice to Peter and Maria's relationship, but I'm not entirely sure what edits would make it better. That said, their relationship is lovely and it's wonderful to see Dade writing a romance where both leads are fat. It's also steamy as heck; I can't remember the last time I picked up a romance novel that opened on a sex scene. While Peter and Maria both have their own traumas, their miscommunication issues are realistic and watching them grow as people is really rewarding. Plus the book is full of excellent banter. While not the strongest of the three books set in this universe, I still recommend it, especially for the epilogue where every character has a bow put on their happy ending. show less

This is a pretty epic slow burn (minus their one night together at the very beginning) considering the book extends over six years. Granted those years flip pretty quickly about thirty percent in, and it was fascinating how Maria and Peter evolved together. I appreciated that we really learned more about their issues later in the book as they continued to share more with each other. I loved these two so much, and the extended characters were amazing as well; this was a lovely end (at least I think it’s the end) of these amazing books about all these actors finding love.

The follows on from Spoiler Alert and All the Feels, and focuses on two different cast members from a long-running TV series, Gods of the Gates, who spend years filming together on a small island.

I enjoyed the fandom references, the appearances from familiar characters and the way Dade uses her fictional TV series to make pointed commentary about Game of Thrones (which I have never watched but I’ve spent enough time on the internet to be familiar with the criticism of). I also enjoyed the moments when Peter and Maria support each other.

She intended to treat him the same way she’d treated the stray moose who’d accidentally wandered through the garden of her family’s summer home. In other words: with great caution. Because moose show more might be gorgeous and majestic, but they were also wild creatures. Unpredictable, sometimes cranky, huge, strong as fuck, and liable to lash out whenvever anyone got too close.
That said, if he called her Pippi again, she would be forced to beat him over the head with a jar of pickled herring in an act of extremely Swedish revenge. show less

I read this book for a reading challenge, otherwise, I am not sure I would have read it. It starts off with one of the most descriptive sexual encounters I have ever read. Peter and Marie, both plus-sized, are involved in a passionate love making session. When Marie abruptly leaves, without a word, Peter is devastated. They then discover they are both cast to star in a series. It goes on for 6 years in which they become friends, but not lovers. Both of them have issues with abandonment and security.
The book was about body positivity and commitment, but it was pretty sexually graphic, just a warning!

I wanted this couple to connect more than I feel like they actually did. The story opens up mid-thrust with our hero and heroine getting down. After she tries to smash and dash without a word, they end up cast opposite each other on a giant fantasy show. After a few false starts, they decide that they won't be together during shooting.

Basically the minute the show wraps, they get together and while the physical part seems to be great while their communication could use so much work. These two have a history of walking away from each other constantly and it was absolutely infuriating.

I did appreciate that both main characters were unapologetically fat and hated that Maria felt like she had to bring her own food to film on location on the show more off chance that they would start to limit her food to control her weight. I hated it more that she was right. I liked that there were so many cameos of things that happened in the other books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Audio for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own. show less