All the Feels, the second book in Olivia Dade's smart and sexy Spoiler Alert series, follows a dreamy actor with a bad reputation and his down-to-earth soulmate.

Alex Woodroe stars as the mythical Cupid on "Gods of the Gates," a prestige fantasy TV show similar to "Game of Thrones." Following a rocky penultimate season and some embarrassing publicity, the producers have imposed a tight rein on the production of the final episodes. So when Alex gets into a headline-making bar brawl, a tense situation goes from bad to worse—and totally viral.

Enter Lauren Clegg, an even-tempered but burned-out emergency room psychotherapist. While decompressing between jobs in Europe, she receives a message that Ron, her estranged cousin and childhood bully who also happens to be a producer on "Gods of the Gates," needs her help to get control of his star. Lauren signs on as Alex's "minder." She's essentially his sober companion, but for issues with impulse control and volatile behavior instead of alcohol or drugs.

The full review is on BookPage.com.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a cute, funny contemporary romance involving one gorgeous, impetuous Hollywood star and one short, stoic therapist hired to be his minder when he gets into a bar fight.

Alex is a tall, muscular, hot actor starring on TV's most popular show. But the showrunners wrecked his character on the show's last season, he's got dark secrets that affect his behavior in inopportune times and when he gets into a bar fight, rather than asking him what happened, the producers assume he's at fault and hire a therapist to shadow him everywhere he goes. Alex is told that his "minder" must go everywhere he goes until the last episode airs, and if he steps out of line again, they will sue him and he'll never work again.

Lauren is overweight and not classically pretty. She's worked for years as an ER therapist, but after finally burning out, she leaves her job and goes to Europe for a much needed vacation. Her mother pressures her to visit her producer cousin in Spain, and despite the fact that she hates her cruel, idiot cousin, Lauren always puts others' needs above her own and complies. Her timing couldn't be worse, and when Alex shows up on the set, Lauren's cousin assigns her as his "minder". Rather then step up for herself, she agrees to forgo her vacation and takes the job.

Lauren and Alex get off to a rocky start, but eventually they settle into a good working relationship. It helps that Lauren understands his limitations due to ADHD and suspects that he has secrets that motivate him to act as he does. Her patience, and his smartass humor, work. As the duo go through trying events together and challenges to Alex's career, the employer/employee relationship turns into an unlikely romance.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was funny. I know a lot of people didn't care for how Alex talked to Lauren, but being a self-admitted smartass myself, I totally get his humor. None of his smart ass comments are meant to hurt, humiliate or demean Lauren, and she knows that. She gets that his insecurity and ADHD limitations are expressed in his incessant need to charm, joke and prod a reaction from her because the truth is, he's lonely and desperately seeking human connection. Meaningful connection. So, the banter between Alex and Lauren didn't bother me.

I've heard that the first book in this series is really good, so I plan to go back and read it. I also look forward to reading any further books in the series. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager. All opinions are my own.

Alex is one of the main actors on an extremely popular TV series with a huge following. I fell in love with Alex - he is such a likable, goofy, charming character who lives life with enthusiasm, and pulls other people along in his wake. Alex, however, has a public relations issue. He recently became involved in a public brawl and needs to stay out of trouble for the next few months.

Lauren has been working as an ER social worker/therapist which is a job with heavy burnout. Her cousin is one of the show's managers and he arranges for Lauren to be Alex's babysitter - she has to be with him whenever he is in public. Alex resents being babysat but finds himself fascinated by Lauren. She reminds him of a bird, but what bird? They take a long road trip together, sometimes roughing it, and get to know each other. Lauren would not be considered attractive to most people, but Alex sees her differently. This is a lovely romance, one I know I will re-read - right after I re-read the first book.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Avon for a review copy of this book. It was a pleasure to read and review it.

All the Feels is definitely the right title because I have... a lot of feelings on this book.

To get the complaints out of the way, I was not a fan of how Alex was so mean to Lauren in the first part of the book. Lauren takes it mostly in stride, but I know if I was in that situation I would be on the floor sobbing every night (yes I'm sensitive) because he just wasn't nice to her which made him immediately really dislikable to me--not the first impression you want to give to the reader.

I kept going because I was a huge fan of Spoiler Alert and was looking for something like that, and the book definitely improved after I got past Alex's initial "teasing" phase. My favorite part of this book was watching Alex deal with AHDH; as a person with ADHD myself (though it is very different for men and women) I felt a kinship towards him that made him much more endearing. I also loved Lauren, as well as all the side characters: Dade did a solid job writing a cast of people you will love.

Though I feel there wasn't much plot to Lauren and Alex's romance, I found myself enjoying it anyway. Their chemistry was kismet, I loved watching them grow as a couple, and I found myself really believing in their romance. I do not think this book was as high of quality as Spoiler Alert was, but I still overall enjoyed this book, and would likely recommend it--though it wouldn't be at the top of my romance essentials.

An impulsive, sexy television star meets his match in a no-nonsense therapist in All the Feels. Olivia Dade’s second Spoiler Alert novel features two likeable characters who are easy to root for, but the romance missed the mark for me.

Alex is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s so loving, protective, and open it’s easy to fall for him. He’s got sex appeal in spades and loves the spotlight, but somehow his need for attention isn’t annoying because he’s got charm and a good heart. He’s open about having ADHD, which I really appreciated. But Alex’s impulsivity is threatening to derail his career and his showrunners have hired a minder. Enter Lauren. She’s a former ER therapist hired to keep Alex in line. Alex may have a good heart but his unfiltered mouth leads to some backhanded compliments (they make sense in his mind but since Lauren isn’t in his mind it’s cringe-worthy). Lauren is smart, sensible, and caring. She isn’t beautiful and Dade doesn’t mask the cruelty someone who looks like Lauren faces. Though Lauren spends a lot of the reacting to Alex, when we do see her independent character she’s really interesting and I enjoyed her personal journey.

I loved Alex and Lauren’s chemistry at the start. Their banter is fun, his provoking and her shutting it down made me smile. They also take care of each other and learn about one another which I really enjoyed. I loved them as friends, but when All the Feels turns to lust the story just didn’t work for me. I really liked Lauren and Alex individually and as friends but I didn’t feel any romantic chemistry from them. When things heated up it felt inorganic, which was a letdown. From there, the story rockets from lust to love which felt forced, even taking into consideration Alex’s open, emotional nature. It’s a pity because after finishing Spoiler Alert I was really excited to read Lauren and Alex’s story. In the end, I had mixed feelings about All the Feels. I really liked Lauren and Alex, enjoyed their friendship, and loved Alex’s relationship with his castmates, but the romance wasn’t my cup of tea.

3.5*

This was so cute! From the unconventional mc to the fanfic reading love interest. I loved the hints of spice and Dade's writing is amazing. Only thing is that I felt the chemistry was a little low - I'm all for teasing but something about the spark was lacking.

This is book 2 in Spoiler Alert Series.
I'd say you don't have to read the 1st book but you would be crazy to miss out on that story. It also sets GREAT ground work for this book.

Alexander Woodroe has been starring as Cupid on TV’s biggest show, God of the Gates. but as we have learned from the 1st book the show runners have run the show into the ground after the books ended and they took liberty's and also from the 1st book you learn all about the online fan fic and all I'm going to say about that is pegging haha. One night at the end of filming the series final Alex gets into a bar fight and arrested so enters Lauren Clegg his own personal babysitter.

She is taking a break from her job nd was going to be taking a vacation when her cousin (Who is a asshole) got her to watch Alex for the next 9months until the show has aired to make sure he doesn't get into any problems.

Alex isn't a problem guy who just jumps into action and always wants to protect people and just does without thinking. He thinks he's helping but sometimes he's hurting the ones round him himself included.

Lauren is just there to do a job and take a break but Alex will not give up on making her his friend and when he gets in trouble for protecting her things take all kinds of turns.

Through out the book they keep talking about how she looks. She's overweight and has a bird type face is how she's described as. How she's not a lot to look at but the girl on the cover is cute and doesn't look like a bird. With myself being a bigger girl I know I don't feel pretty most of the time so I get her have her own issues especially how people treat you based on your weight. But if she looks like the cover she is beautiful just saying.

This was a cute read and this is my 2nd Olivia Dade book and She makes us bigger girls thrive and I love reading her books and I hope there's more in this series and we get more of the Fan Fic to go along with it!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

#AlltheFeels #NetGalley

All the Feels
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

All the Feels runs on parallel time to Spoiler Alert. I may be biased because I just finished Spoiler Alert last week but I LOVED this book so much! Alex as you know, is also on God of the Gates and from Spoiler Alert we get a little of his personality. Lauren Clegg is brought on to be his minder because he’s a little reckless to say the least. When I tell you, I enjoyed the banter between these two. The chemistry that was slowly building, the slow burn romance (really slow, I got half way before there was any pegging), the one bed trope, enemies to lovers. I did enjoy Spoiler Alert more but I loved hearing of Alex’s & Lauren’s backstory. Trigger warnings for Domestic Violence which happens off page. Overall I loved Alex and Lauren’s story. All The Feels is out now!

Thank you to Netgalley & Avon Books for this eARC

Oh wow, did I love this book. I loved Spoiler Alert, but All the Feels quite literally gave me all of the feels in a completely different way.

Alex's image is in desperate need of an overhaul. Sure, he's charming, wealthy, a talented actor, and sexy as hell, but he also has a bit of a reckless and impulsive side that keeps getting him into trouble. Finally, after Alex gets into a bar fight while filming the final season of Gods of the Gates, the showrunners have decided they've had enough. In comes Lauren, a former ER therapist in need of a break, who is hired to keep him in check.

But it doesn't prove an easy job, between his Cupid fanfiction habit and her growing feelings for him. When another scandal puts Alex in even bigger trouble and costs Lauren her job, they need to find another reason to spend time together and decide whether all of the trouble is worth it.

I don't think I can fully express how much I loved this book. As I said, I loved Spoiler Alert, and I loved All the Feels for a lot of the same reasons—the positive fandom representation, the nerdy references, so many references to fanfiction, the boundary setting—but this book hit me in a way that Spoiler Alert didn't.

I've struggled with ADHD for my entire life. I was diagnosed very young, much like Alex. I've never read a book before where the main character explicitly has ADHD, so seeing that part of me reflected in a book was so wholly affirming. I identified a lot with Alex's struggles, from the executive dysfunction issues to the hyper-sensitivity. And I especially identified with the way he hyper-focused on fanfic writing as a way to cope with things, seeing as that is exactly what I did last year when the pandemic started. That, in addition to his "delightful asshole" tendencies and total stern brunch daddy vibes, made me fall in love with him.

Alex aside, there were so many other things to love about this book: the forced proximity, the reverse grumpy sunshine, the plus-size rep, a road trip, AND an only one-bed trope (which is my second favorite trope, and apparently Alex's too). It also scratched that slow-burn itch. After this and Spoiler Alert, I am definitely putting Olivia Dade on my list of must-buy authors and will definitely be reading her back catalog.

4 STARS!

"Oh, Lauren, bless your naïve little heart," he said pityingly. "We're just getting started."

I read Spoiler Alert last year and enjoyed parts of it, but much of it did not land with me. This follow up, I'm happy to be able to report, I REALLY liked!

It has a one-sided enemies-to-lovers trope to it along with some forced proximity goodness, a road trip, and a slow burn romance.

I was so interested in Lauren and Alex in Spoiler Alert as the timeline of these books are partially parallel. Lauren Clegg has just been given the job of being Alex Woodroe's "minder." His babysitter basically. After an arrest and some other less-then-favorable public incidents, the producers of his bigtime show are none too pleased with the actor's behavior.

Lauren is quiet, introverted...Alex is loud, unapologetic, and very in your face. For a long time, they have a kindergarten type dynamic where she is mostly indifferent to him while he incessantly pokes at her in hopes of getting some kind of rise out of her.

“You’re the worst,” she declared between fits of giggles. “The worst.”
It shocked him into laughter too, because Jesus. The irony. The irony killed him.
“Rest assured, Wren,” he gasped. “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”


Lauren is also plus sized which, in the public eye and in show business, creates struggles for her. I loved how fiercely protective Alex was over her and how he would gladly go to bat for her if anyone dared to criticize her appearance. This book had so many laugh-out-loud moments that slowly transitioned into sweet and tender moments. And even though I would classify this is a romantic comedy, it is NOT a surface read. This story really dives deep into the emotions of these characters, both individually and together, and really has all the feels.

"But as you once told me, you’re the one the audience wants to look at and listen to. Not some random woman.”
“I don’t care about them, Wren. I want to look at you. I want to listen to you.”

I love the way this author writes the romance elements of her stories and the steam here was HELLA HAWT!! Do not be fooled by the sweet and cute cover. The hot tub scene, for one, was ON FIRE!

“But tonight, I want to make you come with my fingers and my tongue, because, Wren—”
He finally stroked over her clit with a fingertip, and she whimpered into the still night.
“I’m really fucking good with my tongue.”
“You should be.” Somehow, even as her legs tensed and her breath hitched with every brush of his finger over her clit, she was laughing. They both were. “It certainly gets enough use.”

And I will just say this about Alex, nothing is sexier than a man who isn't afraid to cry for his woman. That scene...gutted me!!

This book did drag a little for me in the beginning and that is the only reason for this not being a 5-star read for me. But, I get lost in the AO3 and Fandom talk...not really my thing. I had the same takeaway in the first book, though much less page time in this book focused on fandom talk. I feel like in Spoiler Alert if you didn't have a basic knowledge of fandoms and cosplay, you'd be totally lost.

Overall, this was such an entertaining read with heart and grit. I can't wait to read more from this series and this author.

“Wren,” he said, and he meant it with every atom in his reckless, needy heart, “you may be the worst, but you’re also the absolute best.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All The Feels by Olivia Dade
Publication Date: November 16th, 2021

TW: talk of off-page, past tense domestic violence

Happy Release Week to All the Feels by Olivia Dade! I was excited to pick this book up and re-visit characters that Dade introduced in book one of this romance series, Spoiler Alert. (See our review of it here.) Especially, since the leading man this time is Marcus’ best friend (& ball of living chaos), Alex!! He was honestly one of my favorite parts of the first book and I’m exceptionally happy that his (& Lauren’s) love story got to be told as well.

If you’re just tuning in to this series with book 2 (which is totally fine since this is a romance series), this book follows Alex Woodroe, famous actor of the Gods of the Gates TV show. We pick up with him being assigned a “minder” after getting into an altercation at a bar and getting arrested. Enter Lauren, the cousin of the Gates showrunner, and Alex’s new babysitter. But the more time they spend together the more Lauren realizes that what Alex really needs is a friend, and from there their relational lines get even more blurred.

What I Liked:
- ALEX!! I LOVE A CHAOTIC ALEX. Or even just chaotic Alex energy. But thankfully this book comes with both!!
- So rarely does a book cross the correct types of tropes to thoroughly entertain me, but not annoy me. But this book did it with a beautiful trope trifecta of: Chaotic Alex, Roadtrip, and “There’s only one bed.”
- So many times I read a book and it’s just one character apologizing and owning up to their faults over and over again. Very tired. I loved that in this story the emotional development of the relationship was fueled and maintained by both sides. Very refreshing.
- Alex and Lauren had really great chemistry and they were a blast to see bouncing off one another constantly, in flurries of wit and sarcasm. Would love too see them pop up in future additions to the series.

What I Didn’t Like:
- While this book was extremely bingable, it had little staying power. Basically while I was reading I couldn’t think of doing anything else, but as soon as a set it down I found myself doing anything but picking it back up again.

Recap
If you’re looking for a fun, witty romance with really loveable characters, All the Feels is definitely a book to add to your TBR. Olivia Dade recently announce the third book in the series, The Love We Feel. It’s going to follow another Gods of the Gates cast member, Maria, but I’m still holding out that Carah will eventually get a book! And that it with be LGBTQIA+, because that’s really what we all need.

4/5 stars

*Thank you Net Galley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations. I would definitely recommend to others.

This book gave me all the feels. I adore it.

Lauren gets roped in by her horrible cousin (who is a showrunner of the popular Gods of the Gates series) to babysit one of the show's stars, Alex, after he's involved in a bar fight. Lauren is no stranger to difficult situations, having worked in the ER for years, but Alex tests her limits.

They're so delightful. Lauren is quiet, and serious, and dedicated, and secretly wickedly funny. Alex is loud, and a motormouth, and just so darn outgoing, but loyal. And, yes, he teases Lauren unrelentingly, but it never comes across as meanness. His other actions help to balance that as well.

If you've read Spoiler Alert, a dramatic moment that came near the end of that book comes about midway through this one, which took me a bit by surprise. It felt like we'd hit a lot of the romance story beats already, and then we got more.

Olivia Dade does an amazing job here. It's so good.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I actually had an arc of this for a while but late summer/early fall really caught me in a major reading slump but I finally think I’ve kicked that and I think it’s all thanks to this book.

First off - I’ve been excited for this book since Spoiler Alert last year. That was one of my top ten favorites and I’ll be honest I went into this one with high hopes based off of that - and it didn’t disappoint.

I think the thing I loved the most about this was how natural the progression of Alex and Lauren’s relationship felt. It may have seemed fast - and maybe it was - but it felt so right. It wasn’t insta-love but I wouldn’t quite call it full blown slow burn. The pace was perfect especially as they each came to terms with things about themselves and what they were bringing to the table.

The other thing I loved is something the author does so well and it is her handling of mental health, self worth and body positivity. The characters are messy and they may not look like what most people think of when they think of main characters in a romance - but that’s what makes the book great. It makes it feel real and relatable.

I really really adored this book and can confidently say I consider it a definite option for comfort rereading!

I can’t wait for the next - and last which sad face - book in this world to come out.

Lauren is a therapist who has taken a break from her job. She travels to Spain and the set of a series production led by her not-nice cousin. Soon she is roped into a job babysitting the star, Alex, whose antics have landed him in hot water. He falls in love with her good heart, kindness, and calm nature. Lauren realizes quickly that despite Alex’s movie-star good looks and quick temper, he is a good person who cares about and supports those around him, his mom, his housekeeper, and domestic violence charities.

This is the second book in a series, and I didn’t read the first book but have seen positive reviews. I enjoyed this story and the realization that all was not what it seemed at first. Alex has strong morals and beliefs and is hardly a drunken hot-headed star. Although Lauren is calm and collected, this doesn’t mean that she doesn’t make mistakes as well. This was a beautiful story that was easy to read and enjoyable.

While I am always a fan of plus-sized leading ladies, they are too often represented as classic beauties…with a few extra curves. Just as skinny does not automatically mean beautiful, beautiful should not be a requirement for a main character (of any gender). I was therefor able, as an imperfect human, to immediately connect with Lauren. She’s short and round with an asymmetrical face and crooked nose. She doesn’t sound like an ideal love interest, or even a likely heroine, and yet this is who Olivia Dade has chosen to take center stage in her newest release, All the Feels.
For those of us who read Spoiler Alert it came as little surprise that the side story of Alex and Lauren would become its own full fledged romance. Even while thoroughly enjoying the interactions between Marcus and April, it was always a delightful interjection when Alex complained about “Nanny Clegg” and her penchant for being a wet blanket. Much to my delight, the witty banter continues full force in All the Feels, which switches back and forth between Alex's and Lauren's perspective with an almost frustrating quality to the paralleled feelings of both characters. They are clearly interested in the each other, but think their feelings couldn't possibly be reciprocated. As they gradually open up to each other, and the possibility that it could be more than just a work friendship, they are of course met with hurdles, inappropriate fans, and very jerky cousins. Without giving too much away, I will say that the title is very apt and I am thrilled to see that another installment in this charming series is on the docket.

All the Feels follows after Spoiler Alert and it's Alex and Lauren’s story. Alex Woodroe is the overprotective himbo best friend of Marcus, the male love interest of the first book. Alex is an actor for the same Game of Thrones-y type show that Marcus stars in and very much has ADHD which he’s pretty open about (This book gets brownie points from me for having great accurate ADHD representation). Alex gets in trouble with the show’s producers over a bar fight that lands him in a Spanish jail for a night. They take the drastic measure of assigning him a minder who’s responsible for keeping him in line until the last season of the show finishes airing.

Lauren Clegg, the short, round cousin of one of the showrunners is the perfect woman for the job of being Alex’s live-in killjoy. Lauren is a mental health worker taking a much-needed sabbatical from the ER and babysitting a grown man (that doesn't really seem like he needs babysitting) while being paid exceptionally well to do so seems like the perfect extended vacation she needs. Of course, being tasked to spend every waking hour together, feelings start to develop between the two.

Compared to Spoiler Alert, All the Feels is a lot more of a slow burn experience but still has a lot of cute fandom humor that made the first book so enjoyable. Also, this book has the added benefit of a self-aware “There’s only one bed” scene that certainly has a *satisfying* conclusion. I perhaps didn’t enjoy this book as much as I did Spoiler Alert but that’s not to say that it isn’t a good book because Spoiler Alert set the bar so high. I just found it a little slow to start but that's kind of on me because I'm not huge on slow burn romances which this book is clearly marketed as. It’s still a really fun plus-sized romance and once the slowburn finally ignited boy did the fire blaze! I loved Alex and Lauren’s relationship I thought they were so fun together, even if Alex is prone to a bit of foot-in-mouth disease.

This book further solidifies my love for Olivia Dade books because on the one hand, her books are super fun and flirty but also they can and will destroy you emotionally.

All the Feels is definitely worth the read, especially if you liked Spoiler Alert and Dade's other books!

CW: Fatphobia, Mentioned Domestic Abuse

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Spoiler Alert was one of my favorite reads last year, and since Alex was my favorite background bae I was ~thrilled~ when All The Feels was announced😍 and Lauren & Alex’s story was everything I had hoped it would be!! It was tropey and charming and I couldn’t read it fast enough🙌🏻 aaaaand since I had some leftover costume supplies from Halloween, here’s a lil Cupid cosplay featuring Caroline as a rather vexed Psyche😂

there was so much to love about this book, and imo the greatest of these is the amazing character work Dade does with both Alex and Lauren. As a person with ADHD, I felt so seen by Alex’s character🥰 his playfulness and effervesce, the way he is so driven by his feelings (usually to care for other people), how often he forgot to eat— it was all too familiar🤦🏼‍♀️ But Dade depicts Alex in a way that honestly showed his struggles while never shaming him for them, and gave just as much screen time to how they made him the amazing person that he was💜 There aren’t a ton of books that feature characters with ADHD, and even fewer that do so with such detail and care— major kudos to Olivia

And then, of course, there’s LAUREN🙌🏻 ugh i loved her so much!! I feel like there’s such a proliferation of buttoned up heroes, but we get a buttoned up heroine with Lauren and I couldn’t love her more! Watching her slowly warm to Alex and reveal more & more of herself to him was just ✨delicious✨

I’m running out of room to gush, but All The Feels is AMAZING go read it now!! Tropes (that i remember lol) include: road trip romance, opposites attract/grumpy x sunshine, only one bed, + forced proximity, plus an ~amazing~ critique of a show that rhymes with Shmame of Schmones🤣 many thanks to Avon and Netgalley for my review copy

I read Spoiler Alert right before I read this, so I knew it was coming, I knew Alex and the Harpy would end up together, even though his comments pertaining to her in Spoiler Alert were less than ideal.

I’m aye a fan of reading about plus size women that are just living their lives in their bodies and there’s no more struggle than the next person, and no diet talk. Some comments about Lauren’s appearance did bother me, but that was a personal trigger and not anything that was poorly written.

I don’t know how Marcus got labeled a golden retriever when it was certainly constantly cheery ADHD Alex I would peg as one. And the Nanny Clegg worn out ER therapist personality was a perfect match for him. She toned him down while he brightened her up. Their love is one for the ages.

I loved, loved, loved SPOILER ALERT, so I was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, the hero is like a big toddler, and that energy is too much for me. DNF.