Member Reviews
Another adorable fandom-y romance from Olivia Dade. The impulsive star of a Game of Thrones-like TV show (who we first met in Spoiler Alert) gets stuck with a minder, a former ER therapist who is the new bane of his existence. Except when she's not. I love how Alex falls for Lauren for who she is, not despite what she looks like, and the way he appreciates her unique features. (Lauren is not beautiful and is described several times as "bird-like.") I also love that Lauren doesn't care that she's not the most beautiful woman, and is confident in herself regardless, even when babysitting a TV star. Definitely a bit smutty, but also really sweet. Olivia Dade does it again!
This was a quick read for me. The pace just kept going. Part of that might be because of Alex’s train-of-thought speeches. Alex was diagnosed with ADHD and has taken some steps to work around it. He’s also an actor in the final year of a massive hit TV show. After a bar fight, he is assigned a handler by the show runners. Lauren (Wren, as Alex calls her) is showrunner Ron’s cousin. She was on vacation when she was offered this job. The money will help her decide what she wants to do after burning out at her job. After being in close confines together for weeks, feeling develop. Lauren isn’t sure about it, based on his fame and good looks, and her plain looks. But they decide to go for it. Until Lauren has a chance to save Alex’s career. For Alex who is constantly talking and Lauren who was always listening, things fall apart. Because they don’t communicate with each other. I really enjoyed this, though I would have loved to have something happen to Ron.
All the Feels by Olivia Dade is a fun and well written romantic comedy about Lauren who is hired to keep actor Alexander Woodroe in line after an incident. Filled with laugh out loud moments, heat and romance, All the Feels has all that you'd want.
I never bought the romance of this-I appreciates all the details of Alex’s struggles with adhd and impulsivity. However, how he went from someone constantly criticizing Lauren to desiring her didn’t ring true for me.
A deliciously inclusive and body positive romance between a burnt out hospital counselor and a famous actor. I appreciated the body inclusivity and positive language around image and various body types. The romance plot was a solid slow burn, grumpy/sunshine, coworkers, forced proximity relationship. A quick, fun read.
Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Avon publishers for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Olivia Dade has just inducted herself into my all-time favorite romance authors list. Not only was this book a joy to read, but it was so well written and fleshed out and beautifully crafted. I loved this book and I'm so happy it was my first five star read of the year.
Just like the first book in this series, "Spoiler Alert," this book embodies the puzzle piece romance trope. Alex and Lauren just fit together perfectly. They complete each other in every way possible and they fill in each other's loneliness. They are the type of characters that wouldn't make sense together because of their drastic personality differences (she's quiet and reserved and he's loud and unabashed) but together they just make sense. They healed each other and were there for each other because all they needed was love and acceptance.
I am also completely obsessed with this book and how meta it was. Alex writes and reads fanfiction and he constantly has to explain fanfiction tropes to Lauren and it was so funny. I also loved that the author included actual snippets of Alex's fanfiction between chapters and it helped immerse us as the reader into their story.
This book also discusses more serious topics like fat-phobia, domestic violence (past, not written on page) and stigma surrounding mental health, so please look up content warnings if these topics are sensitive to you.
As of now I will read anything Oliva Dade publishes and I will be very happy about it.
Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) in exchange for an honest review.
Oh Olivia Dade. You have once again knocked it out of the park with complex characters who draw you in. I just wanted to give Wren and Alex hugs. This was the second book I read from her, I had been looking forward to it after reading "Spoiler Alert." But not going to lie, this book led to me tracking down as many of Olivia Dade's other books as I could get my hands on. Lots of steam as well, so if you prefer closed door romance this one is not for you.
Well done. I look forward to more!
I loved the dynamic between the characters. Olivia Dade never disappoints. I so appreciate romances with representation. And I especially love seeing different body types as the protagonist of romances, they are deserving of love just as much as anyone else!
ALL THE FEELS is right!! We love the plus size representation and steamy romance. Now I need to go back and read Spoiler Alert! A high recommend!
Thank you so much to Avon and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The best parts of Spoiler Alert involved the extremely relatable main character, April. Olivia Dade does such a great job with romance that includes plus-size rep and All the Feels was no different. Just like with the first book, I adored both the story she told and the characters.
Don't get me wrong, I feel like if I came across Alex in person, he would annoy me. A lot. But in the book? He was insanely charming and I don't know if I liked him or Marcus more. I do lean towards Marcus, but that didn't stop me from reading this entire thing in one day. Alex and Lauren's relationship was great because, except for that traditional hiccup at the end, there was no annoying miscommunication trope. Anything that may have headed in that direction was immediately quashed. And, to be fair, the part at the end was less "miscommunication" and more "I know what's best for you so I'll make this decision without consulting you". I don't love it, but I do love how it was resolved and resolved quickly.
Olivia Dade continues to write stories with great and unproblematic characters that I love, in some of my favorite "famous love interest" trope that I've ever read. I'll read anything she puts out, and this got a full five stars from me.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Olivia for this ARC! I may love this more than Spoiler Alert! The relationship between Alex and Lauren is so enjoyable. Not quite enemies to lovers but highly entertaining. He really is a loveable asshole. And it gets a little spicy. Cannot wait for the third book!
I think I'm going to read this one again to solidify my thoughts before deciding if I'll post a public review. I liked it, but didn't LOVE it. SPOILER ALERT was a 2020 favorite, and I've already read it at least twice and handsold it SO many times. I was REALLY looking forward to this, so maybe I overhyped it in my mind. It just didn't have that same spark and something was missing that I desperately wanted to be there. I'll read it again with average expectations instead of over the top ones and hopefully connect better!
Is there an author whose books feel like a gift? Olivia Dade's Spoiler Alert is one of my favorite books I read this year and now that I've read All the Feels I continue to be in awe of the way her works make me feel seen in such different ways, the emotional depth that makes her characters feel so human and relatable, and how each takes me from smiling to laughing to crying in the most satisfying ways.
The book follows actor Alex Woodroe, who is assigned a handler to keep his behavior in check after a series of mishaps. Lauren Clegg isn't ecstatic about her new role of babysitter, but it's a much-needed break and the more time she spends with Alex the more she begins to think that he's been misjudged.
Alex is a menace and a chaos demon and I love him. Dade sets the story up for even the reader to misjudge him based on the way he acts, but he won me over with his devotion to his mother, the way he fought for Wren and reminded her time and again how worthy she was, and his endless love of all things fanfiction. Alex would ruin himself for the people he cares about and I loved how Dade explored the burden of guilt he carried and how hard it can be to let that go. Plus he's a hero who cries multiple times on the page and y'all know I can't get enough of that!
Meanwhile, Wren, as Alex calls her, is self-sacrificing in her own way. Dade deftly looks at the nuances of moving through the world as a fat woman and how it impacts Wren, while also looking closely at the ways her career as an ER therapist has lead her to always putting herself second. She's a harpy-in-training and learning along the way that it's okay to take up space, to ask for what she needs, to expect better of the world and how it treats her.
So much of this book involves these two creating healthy boundaries for themselves and it's amazing to see that kind of character growth in two protagonists who I loved so much. Add in hilarious text transcripts and fanfiction snippets, and it was truly everything I'm coming to adore about Dade's books. I cannot wait to pick up more from her next year!
All the Feels by Olivia Dade had such a promising start, but it fell very short. Halfway through it, I was wondering if there was a plot at all, considering there were many time jumps and a lot of moments that happened "off-screen." I loved Lauren and Alex individually as characters, but I did not fully enjoy reading their relationship unfold. There was a lot of internal dialogue on Alex's part about Lauren's features that made him a bit hypocritical. He would fight anyone who commented negatively on her "beak" nose, but he would do the same moments later. There seemed to be an endless cycle of the characters making the same mistakes that became too much for me, which made me struggle to finish. The fanfiction aspects felt especially odd and out of place especially considering the characters' ages. However, I did enjoy reading ADHD and plus-sized representation.
Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I have been eagerly awaiting this book since finishing Spoiler Alert.
This is the second book in the series and it features Alexander Woodroe as one of the fictional stars of God of the Gates. He has been forced to have a handler after a few publicity mishaps. Lauren Clegg is the cousin of one of the producers of the show who asked Lauren to look after the tv star. Can Lauren keep Alexander out of trouble?
Quite entertaining :) I really enjoyed the slow build friendship between Lauren and Alex, and how that slowly grew to more. I loved how Ren is comfortable in her own skin, and how she learns to stand up for herself when people talk down to her. I would've loved to see Marcus and April interact with Alex and Ren, but though Marcus was only on the page for a brief moment, it was nice seeing him again- especially the close friendship between him and Alex. So though this was categorized as a romance, which there definitely was, to me it was more a book on solid friendships. Looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
Leaving reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.
3.5 stars ⭐️
After reading and not liking Spoiler Alert, I was a bit skeptical to pick this up, but I was ultimately impressed with this sequel.
I found Alex's obsession over Lauren's looks to be off-putting at first, but then seeing how he appreciated and came to love Lauren and her body made me love this book so much more,
The first half of the book wasn't great, to be honest. The celebrity/actor and fanfiction tropes aren't what I prefer personally, but I loved the forced proximity in this and the second half of the book got me real good. The pace picked up a lot more too and I enjoyed it more once they were together, and forming a really emotional and deeper relationship. I really enjoyed seeing Alex being so protective over Lauren, and her to him too!
The fanfiction and celebrity aspects I could do without, but the tropes I loved: (female) bodyguard (sort of), one-bed, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers. And I can't thank Olivia Dade enough for writing plus sized/bigger heroines.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy, in exchange for an honest review!*
I adored every second of this book! What a fun and cute romance that most certainly give me all the feels!
After a bad fight, Alex is assigned a minder by the tv show producers to keep him in line. His ADHD often gets him into messy situations, and a minder is a last attempt to prevent any more fights or problems. I loved Alex in Spoiler Alert, so I was excited to read his story and boy did I fall in love with him in this book even more.
Lauren Clegg needed a break from her job as a ER therapist, and to keep the peace amongst her family, she agrees to do her cousin Ron a favor by watching over a Alex. Their first meeting seems to establish that while he’s charming, he’s still a bit of a dick, but Lauren is very much a professional and can do her job while maintaining a distance. Or can she?
I loved the ADHD rep with Alex, and you really see the way his ADHD often causes him to jump to conclusions or makes rash choices. He can be chaotic and impulsive but he’s never intentionally cruel or hurtful about things. He’s open about having ADHD and about taking medication for it and I loved to see it.
Lauren was also a fantastic character and how loved how comfortable she was in her skin. Her job as an ER therapist gave her a thick skin and a kind heart and all the patience in the world which she uses frequently for Alex 😂. But honestly I truly adored her and I thought her calm personality paired with Alex made a great combination. Her confidence in herself is something I aspire for!
And of course I love the love for fandom culture this book gives! It was one of my favorite aspects of Spoiler Alert. I love how engrossed Alex was in all things fandom talking about all the tropes. I about screamed when he mentioned the sex pollen trope!
Overall such a cute romance and another favorite added to the list!
Olivia Dade writes such witty and relatable characters! In this novel, I really liked how she portrayed all of the emotions of her characters, especially Alex's emotions. It's wonderful to see more people writing emotional men who deal with their shortcomings and psychological baggage they may be carrying. The relationship between Lauren and Alex was super fun and I really enjoyed how Alex even called out the various romance tropes that were used in the novel. I also really enjoy seeing novels embrace fandoms--it's a lot of fun to read.
I have such mixed feelings over this story! It's a great antagonists to lovers story, and I liked the portrayal of Alex's ADHD, but I felt like this story missed the mark when it came to the usual body positivity that we find in Dade's work. Lauren spends so much time thinking about how ugly and fat she is, and we are in her head so much, that it becomes very hard to read. And Alex is the type of person who expresses affection with friendly insults, which didn't feel right in this context.
I did enjoy the romance and their friendship, but this book hurt to read at times, and not in a good way.