Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon/Harper Voyager to Read and Review this book. First, let me list out the trigger warnings of domestic violence, discussion of violence in an Psych ER, verbal abuse, and negative self-talk. This novel has a lot to unpack, but it only enhances the story in my personal opinion. Based on the previous book's depiction of this couple, it's essentially sunshine and rainbows up to a certain point, this goes a lot deeper in the best way even deeper than you'd think it would so be prepared. There's less fanfiction in it which was also appreciated for me personally, but there was also not as much need as it was in the previous. This one, I loved the progression of everything with the third-act conflict being something realistic and necessary to move the story forward, without feeling like it was rehashing the previous. There also although I cannot speak for the representation myself, amazing ADHD depth and understanding especially when it came to the character that possessed it. This has a lot of different elements involved, but the pieces fit together nicely in a fantastic story that I could feel all the feels involved. If I had to pick something that I wasn't sure about the story with would be how there weren't as many cohesive transitions from one perspective to the next. In those moments they just felt choppy otherwise though, I loved this book very much. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars

I think Olivia Dade is one of my new favorite authors!

What I loved about this book:
--The fact that a super hot actor ends up with an amazing, everyday girl!
--The inclusivity of people who are plus size
--The adorable love story/plot

The only thing I didn't love was that the book felt a little long. But, that's a personal preference thing. I always recommend Spoiler Alert. I can't wait to begin recommending this, too!

This was so delightful! If you liked Spoiler Alert, you’ll love this one. It’s a very similar storyline in that it’s gorgeous Hollywood actor man and plus sized woman and bring on the representation! Dade always manages to weave in so much good rep without it feeling forced. Alex, our hero, has ADHD and seemingly violent tendencies (which we learn is simply not true) and is struggling with his role in Hollywood and his past but is an outwardly happy for lucky dude. Lauren, our heroine, is a more serious and realistic woman who has to learn how to put her needs over others and gets assigned to essentially babysit Alex.

I loved how many tropes are in this book, grump and sunshine is one of my favorites and this book has that but reversed from the traditional roles; he is the sunshine and she is the grump in this case. So not only are there solid romance tropes throughout the book, they are self aware of them. There’s an “only one bed” scene and Alex is fully aware and does a happy dance because that’s one of his favorite tropes in fanfic. I was dying laughing the entire time. So while this seems like a fun and fluffy romcom, there are some heavier undertones to help explain why Alec and Lauren are the way they are. It was adorable and fun and definitely a book I’d recommend,

Review posted on GoodReads (July 9, 2021)
Review linked.

5/5 stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Avon for sending me this E-ARC for an honest review. Content Warnings for this book include: Ableism, Fatphobia, Domestic Abuse.

The moment I read Spoiler Alert I became a huge fan of Olivia Dade, and this new book, ALL THE FEELS made me love her writing even more. I absolutely LOVE Dade’s writing so so much and I will scream about this book at the top of my lungs because everyone needs to read them.

If you loved the fan fiction and nerdiness of Spoiler Alert, but are looking for an even more sassy and snarky love interest with a strong and inspiring female lead then this book is for you! I adored Alex and Lauren’s love story so much. It was so natural and beautiful, and I could not stop falling in love with both of their characters.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was its rep of ADHD and neurodivergence. Honestly, this book made me cry and it was so beautifully done. I love seeing romance and more books with neurodivergent rep.

I really recommend this book to anyone who loves Adult Romance!

Thanks for reading!
Caden

*I received this book as a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Content Warning for this book: emotional abuse, past spousal abuse mentioned

Another lovely, quick romance from Olivia Dade! I was absolutely stoked to find that the Spoiler Alert was becoming a series. Wit, body positivity, and nerdy fanfiction references constantly sprinkled in? What more could a girl want? Not to mention that Dade writes the absolute best simps.

All the Feels follows Marcus's best friend, Alex. You may also know him as Cupid from his role on God of the Gates. This book takes place at the same time as Spoiler Alert, which I really enjoyed. A lot of romance series sort of tackle each character in a one-by-one sort of order, so It's nice to see a series that shows the other characters are living out their own lives and grand romances while their friends are doing their own things. People do exist outside of the main character! Wonderful news for those of us suffering from supporting-character energy.

Additionally, I'd like to point out that Dade does a really good job of highlighting some of the unhealthy aspects that we sometimes see in romance novels (dependency, self-sacrificing, etc) and uses her characters to sort of acknowledging that those tendencies are not in fact healthy. Her characters, despite what faults they may have, are good people who work to fix their mistakes and take their relationships in healthy and respectful ways.

Carah next please?

Also the smut was good. 5 stars.

This book was everything I wanted it to be and so much more. I loved the glimpses of Alex and Lauren we got in Spoiler Alert and their story did not disappoint. I devoured this book in two days, it gave me all the feels. It was absolutely incredible and I am forever a fan of Olivia Dade. I will pick up any book she ever writes!

There were glimpses of Alex and Lauren in Spoiler Alert, as much of this book takes place on the same timeline. So, I was eager to read about them. But, their book exceeded all expectations! It’s simply brilliant, and special, and I had all the feels. Just wonderful!

All the Feels is the sequel to a book I read earlier this year, Spoiler Alert. The book follows an impulsive actor, whose showrunners assign him a “nanny” to ensure he doesn’t implode before the show's series finale. He has a troubled past and is at odds with some of the show's storylines, but when he meets his “nanny” Lauren, he learns how to communicate and advocate for himself. Along the way, the pair find common ground and learn things from one another. I love unconventional romance novels, and Olivia Dade is great with them. Very few romance novels have fat leading ladies, so I automatically like this book more for the reason that the lead is a fat woman, who does not go through a physical transformation to get the guy. There’s a lot of fun tropes (freezing cold and only one bed) and some twists to go along with them. I didn’t like it as much as the original, but the characters from that book are also featured in this one. Definitely a good book!

How to write a coherent review of this? I don't think I can. Alex is amazing. I want all of Lauren's shirts. The epilogue slayed me. What a wonderful series.

All the Feels by Olivia Dade was so cute! An adorable story with fantastic narration. There are some trigger warnings but overall handled well.

I would die for Alex. Hands down, no questions asked, no hesitation. Die. For. Him. He is the ultimate cinnamon roll but also a preening house cat who thinks its a lion and I just. Guh. So much love. There's a moment when Lauren compares him to a housecat knocking fragile objections off a table for attention, and it's just... so good.

Okay, now that I got that out of my system. Ahem. *clears throat* This book is so great. I really loved the first book in this series/world, Spoiler Alert, and I was already excited while reading Spoiler Alert to read more about Alex and his paid minder.

The things Alex says! He has ZERO filter, and I love him for it. Some of the descriptions of Lauren, especially in the beginning, made me a little uncomfortable as a fat woman myself. I tried to think about how much of that was internalized fatphobia, and it was just rather eye opening. I adore Lauren (and her BFF Sionna, though I wish we'd gotten to spend more time with Sionna!) I want to be part of their Crone Squad, and I'm going to need ALL of Lauren's t-shirts, thanks.

Tropes: forced proximity, road trip, there's only one bed (to Alex's eternal delight, LMAO!)
CW: fatphobia, abuse (side character, off page, past)

This is the second book in the Spoiler Alert series. While I think it can be read as a stand-alone, this book seems to take place at the same time as Spoiler Alert, or at least the first part of this one runs concurrently with the latter half of the first book. You're really going to get the most bang out of this if you read Spoiler Alert first - it does a lot of the work of introducing the TV show Alex and Marcus star in and the world-building.

This was so much fun. I really wasn’t the biggest fan of Olivia Dade’s last novel, Spoiler Alert, but it had promise!

All the Feels was so much better, though I think I’ve found that I just don’t enjoy the pacing that Dade has established as her style.

Dade has created some fantastic rep throughout this book. I really enjoyed how her characters were easily swoonable and lovable, but had real world issues that just made them even more enthralling.

4.5/5 stars. I enjoyed this book even more than Spoiler Alert! I loved the fat rep, non-traditional beauty rep, and ADHD rep. I didn’t always appreciate the type of humor Alex displayed, but he was still more charm than @$$ hole.

I have to admit two things: 1. I didn't read Spoiler Alert. It's been out filling holds in my library system for awhile now and I just haven't bothered putting a hold on it myself when I'm in no hurry to wait for it. 2. I almost didn't finish this one.

I did, and I don't regret the time spent reading, but...gosh. I just had a hard time with "all the feels" of All the Feels. For one, Alex is nearly 40 years old. I get, and can even say that I think his ADHD was pretty spot on for his character, but also...he's 40 years old, and really lacked a lot of maturity. That can only partly be blamed on his ADHD. I had an easier time visualizing these characters in their mid-to-late twenties. I don't recall if it ever said how old Lauren was, but I guess I pegged her (oh god, that is not a double entendre or a pun) at my own age: 32ish. Lauren was much better at keeping it together as an adult.

But at the same time...the woman is how old, a therapist, and still lets people push her around and thinks so little of herself? I found her contradictory at best.

I had a couple of other issues going through the book. One: Ron was awful and it really didn't make sense to me that Lauren would (no matter how much her Mom pressured her) to go all the way to Spain to see him. I also don't understand why Ron, even as a total asshole, would pay her to do this job --other than some weird familial obligation. Suspension of Disbelief, engaged. Second: I have come to really dislike fanfiction. The premise of actors of a popular show (I'm visualizing Gods of the Gates as a Game of Thrones-Meets-Xena/Hercules sort of thing) fills me with this completely irrational irritation I just can't explain. The idea of Alex writing it, literally in hopes of redeeming a terrible final season is just...ludicrous. The man has never, at least not mentioned here, written anything before in his life. And apparently, he's just *good*? As someone who admits to getting their start, writing in other people's sandboxes so to speak, this just makes me mad. Writing is a honed skill; even if you're purposefully being over-the-top and ridiculous. You don't just come out of the gate with an amazing story.

So...I didn't really read those little excerpts. They felt like a waste of time. I'm here for the main couple: Alex and Lauren. Not whatever these little side trips were supposed to engage. On a similar note: the text messages were pretty "meh" as well. They didn't add anything, other than to confirm that Ian was an asshole and that the rest of the cast was great (even the weird one with the telepathic cat). However, Alex never engaged in those conversations. So...what was the point?

Over all the book was fine, and I might eventually get around to reading Spoiler Alert, but if there's to be another in this series, I'm not sure I'll bother with it personally. While the body positivity was refreshing, Alex struck me as more creepy obsessive about Lauren's size (blegh). The inclusion of an adult with (managed!) ADHD was an interesting move for inclusiveness.I had a hard time not just regarding it as tokenism though. Perhaps sex-on-a-stick Alex being very into Lauren, regardless of her looks and size was supposed to be some kind of a wish fulfillment move, but this plus-sized person wasn't on board for it, and honestly was a bit disappointed.

Jesus. What a punch to the heart! I like the balance of Alex’s overall absurdity and Lauren’s reservation. But Lauren made me so, so sad. And I think it’s because I’m fully aware that her reality is the lived experience for so many fat, not conventionally attractive women in our world. My heart hurt but chasing the HEA was just the balm by bruised black and blue heart needed.

All the Feels was super cute! I liked it a lot as it offered me escapism in a tough time. This book made me laugh and I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters. However, I felt that the romance was a bit rushed. I could understand why the two characters cared for one another, but it felt almost instant and with barely any build up. While I didn't enjoy this one as much as Spoiler Alert, I still had a really good time reading it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a cute, quick romance.

This book. My goodness.

I was fortunate to get an ARC of “All the Feels” by Olivia Dade courtesy of Netgalley. This book comes out on October 26, 2021!

Wowowow! This was a slow burn, friends to lover romance. I had never read an Olivia Dade book but I had wanted to and even have “Spoiler Alert” on my shelf (which I will be reading next).

With that being said, “All the Feels” begins with actor Alex Woodroe gets into a fight while in Spain & has been causing issues lately so his producer gets his cousin Lauren Clegg to be his “babysitter”. She is to follow him everywhere and make sure he does not act reckless.

Alex felt very protective of Lauren the longer he was around her. And wasn’t always the best at handle his anger towards any rude commenters. Controlling his rage in general was hard for him. There was a moment where it all came to head and Lauren’s services were no longer needed. But Alex realizes he needed Lauren in his life as more than an employee.

And from there, this book really took off. Alex planned for Lauren to accompanied him on a road trip to his ex’s wedding up the coast of California. During this trip, I will tell you, Lauren’s character really came to life. She was merely so quiet and reserved putting Alex in his place but during this trip, she was bubbly and had more comebacks.

I don’t want to say too much about the road trip and everything else that happened after their trip but I myself fell for Alex Woodroe. And the end made my heart so incredibly happy.

A quote that I loved from Lauren was “I’m not ashamed of my body. It may not be conventionally beautiful, but it’s strong. It’s mine.” As a plus size woman, size representation especially in romance has meant so much to me. So thank you Olivia!!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

What a delight this book was! I had not previously read Spoiler Alert, the prequel to All the Feels, so I went into this book with no preconceived opinions on the author’s writing style, or the characters and the plot.

All the Feels is a super fun rom-com that follows Hollywood actor Alex and his newly appointed “nanny”, the straight laced and stoic Lauren. After Alex gets into a bar fight and causes tabloid mayhem, he and Lauren are forced to be together 24/7 to make sure he doesn’t stir up more trouble, and while most of the beginning of their relationship consists of constant bickering and needling at each other, they soon find themselves friends. I love seeing character growth in every book I read, but especially when it comes to romance. Alex and Lauren are both dealing with insecurities and demons of their own, and together they encourage the other to open up and work through said insecurities in a healthy way.

On the surface, this novel may seem like an enemies-to-lovers progression. But All the Feels takes bookish tropes to the next level and sort of does a bit of them all, yet in a very meta way (i.e. lots of fanfic references). Aside from loving the sweet romance that blossoms between our two main characters, I really admired how this book tackled themes of mental health, therapy, body shaming culture, domestic abuse, and big body representation, all without feeling like it was trying too hard. If you would like a fun take on the Hollywood romance trope, give All the Feels a shot! I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!

This is the second book in Dade’s Spoiler Alert series but can be read as a stand alone. There is a brief discussion of domestic abuse that may be disturbing to some readers.

Lauren is supposed to be on vacation in Spain when she gets dragged into her cousins world. She’s asked to be a guardian (aka an adult babysitter) for movie star Alex Woodroe after an incident in a local bar. As they spend more time together (hello forced proximity trope 😍), they realize there’s more than meets the eye.

Both of the characters are realistic and I loved that Alex has ADHD and Lauren is plus sized. Lauren’s dry sarcasm pairs perfectly with Alex’s endearing banter. The sex scenes were 🔥🔥🔥!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Olivia Dade does it again with a sincerely heartfelt and heartwarming romance. Most romance novels that include curvy women don’t actually describe an accurate plus-sized woman, but Lauren/Wren was a plus-sized goddess after my own heart. And Alex… who would NOT love such a big-hearted, relentlessly loyal, man? Alex was the champion any woman would adore, and again, Olivia brought REAL people into her characters and story. Amazing story.