First, I will say that I liked that this book started with a sex scene. You don't see that very often and it did a great job of grabbing my attention quickly! However, I feel like the book fell flat for me after that. With the time jump and the amount of internal dialogue, I felt like things were rushed yet also dragged on.

Iwas excited to learn that there was a new addition to the Spoiler Alert series! As Ship Wrecked not only features a plus-size female character, but a male one as well, it was difficult for me not to just rate this five stars before even turning to the first page. While I am happy that there are more novels that feature plus-size female characters, it is extremely rare to find a plus-size male, aside from maybe a very slight hint of a tummy. As the series is named after the first novel, I do wish that it was updated to be called Gods of the Gates, the fictional show that most of the main characters work on at one point or another, or something along those lines as I feel this would better match the series rather than just keeping it named after the initial novel. This novel could be read as a standalone, however, there are callbacks to the first two novels, so it would be recommended to read them in order.

This installment tells the story of Maria and Peter, who begin the novel with their one-night stand. Maria left this interaction thinking it was a fun one-night stand while Peter thought it was the opening to something more, so everything is awkward when the two of them are set to film together for the show Gods of the Gates. I do still wish that this series would become a real fantasy show as it sounds like something I would easily watch! As Peter and Maria are love interests in the show, there is some mention of the fandom that ships the two of them to be together in real life. For this, I felt the concept of fandoms was explored a little more in previous novels and was not done to its full potential in this one.

Maria is incredibly unapologetic when it comes to being herself. She is comfortable with her weight, her features, like her body hair, and her personality. She is apprehensive when it comes to relationships due to her past and I loved how this was explored as it made sense for her character and did not feel forced. There is an over ten-year age difference between her and her love interest, Peter, the plus-size Viking. Peter has a complex family dynamic as he lost his mother at a young age and his father does not understand his desire to be an actor. As the two of them work together for six years, the story gives a well-rounded timeline of the two of them having their many ups and downs as enemies, lovers, and co-stars.

Overall, this was not only a fantastic story about Maria and Peter, but it was an excellent insight into Gods of the Gates with the show, the crew, and the cast. There is a lot that goes into making such an elaborate and successful show, so I love that this novel included those details. There are some elements from the first novel, Spoiler Alert, and the second, All the Feels, and their timelines weave together with this one. These were all excellent elements to include, but there were tiny moments where I felt these were “fluff” as they did not add a lot to the tension and relationship-building of Maria and Peter. Since I loved the other stories, I did not mind a lot, but it was definitely something I noticed. It did give a lot of exploration into the characters and their development, so I loved that Dade took the time to really build these characters. While I do not always agree with some of their conversations/decisions at some moments, they do make sense to them. I loved this addition to the series, and I cannot wait to read more from Dade!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Avon, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

I have never read a Sophie Dade story I didn't like, except sadly, this one. The magic that is in her other books just wasn't there in Ship Wrecked. I didn't like the characters and I found the story just blah. I will definitely continue reading Olivia Dade books though and I still recommend her as an a favorite author!

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Well this book started off with a bang! Literally.. 😂 the chemistry between Maria(25) and Peter(36) started off great, until a one-night stand left Peter hung and dry. Only to find out that they meet up again as co-stars for a new film where they’re stranded for on a deserted island for 6 years. Once they meet up again after so long, she wants to reconnect with him but he doesn’t want anything to do with her.

I love how sassy Maria is and how passionate Peter is for his career. All the pent up tension between the two is crazy. I love that both characters are big as well and I love that Maria loves her body (so does Peter 😏)

There were times where it kind of felt a little prolonged but overall the story was still pretty good! I can’t wait to read more from this author 🤍

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC!

These cute cartoon covers hide so much underneath them

“When you come back to LA, back to me, will you let me touch you whenever I want, however I want?”

This book was so much more than I was expecting. These characters grow so much over the span of this book, and yes I know it's over a span of 6 years but still. I feel like in most books the characters have no real growth but I loved seeing Peter become more extroverted and create a family around himself. Maria was able to overcome so much to be able to be as open as she is.
This book deserves first place for the best banter of 2022. Her continually calling him a shit-boot and threatening him with a jar all over social media is hilarious. This author is hilarious with her self insert fiction about her own characters.

I suggest you read the first two books to understand all the side characters fully, while this can be read as a standalone it would be fully appreciated with full knowledge of the previous books.

Peter and Maria meet in a sauna, which turns into a sort of anonymous one night stand. After sneaking out the next morning, Maria rushes to a casting call, where she just so happens to run into Peter again. They both get the job, which means they will be starring as lovers in a television show. There's a lot of angst, sexual tension, and slow burn over the course of the rise of their show's success and fame. Once the show comes to an end, will they decide to cross the line out of professionalism into something romantic again?

Although I adored Maria and Peter, I didn't love the format of the book and the way it was laid out. I enjoyed the fan-fiction pieces, but felt they were just kind of unnecessary. I also did not like how much they talked about their weight in such a negative way; they acted as though they are giant freaks of nature just because they are tall and overweight. It was a bit off-putting to me, personally. I just feel like Maria is so confident and some of the dialogue took away from that.

Thank you to Olivia Dade, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Format - EARC Netgalley

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice- 🌶 🌶

Series- Spoiler Alert #3

Troupes- Hookup, mutual pining, Friend to lovers, Grumpy sunshine, Forced Proximity

CW- Fat shaming, death of parents, abandonment

I can’t believe I’m saying this but I think this is my favorite of this series… All of them so far have had fat MFC and we love to see it but it hits different when both leads are described as fat, and they describe that trait being sexy and attractive.

I love a fluffy MMC so grumpy Peter had my heart from the very beginning. Even when he was a massive dick. And Maria, sweet take no bullshit Maria I want to be her when I grow up. She’s kind and caring while also giving zero f*cks about what anyone else thinks of her or her body. Both of these lovelies have some abandonment issues and this is the main conflict between them right from the start.

Dade delivers the spice early but then builds a slow burn that will drive you nuts before finally getting these two together again. And it’s steamer than the sauna.

This book is a joy to read so many hard topics are addressed without you even realizing it. Fat shaming and mental health, among them. Peter and Maria are my new standard for excellence in flirty banter!

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC and the publisher for the complimentary hard copy. All opinions provided are my own.

Peter Reedton isn’t a particularly bold hero. As the book notes, he is not waging outright war against his enemies to make himself or the heroine happy.

Instead, the book says, he’s “subtle,” “caring.” And in the end, so romantic. I loved him so much.

Olivia Dade writes her leads in Ship Wrecked beautifully. They feel & seem real—they have charm, eccentricity, insecurity, hurts; they show uncertainty & grace; they are frustrating at times; they are loveable.

He & Maria Ivarsson—both actors on a Game of Thrones-like show—are so emotionally charismatic. I talked about Peter already & Maria is a dynamo—she stands up for herself & for Peter & tries to facilitate connections for him, something he isn’t naturally adept at doing.

The fat rep is sensational, the found family had my heart squeezing, & the ending gives me the gestures & romance my greedy heart wants.

But the book does lose a bit of momentum for me for around 10% of the end, & at the beginning Peter’s personality loses a bit of charm when it delays their relationship in an anticlimactic sort of way .

With that being said I think those things wouldn’t hurt as much with a reread, when I knew what was coming & when things were going to slow down.

In the end this lovely powerful book is really something special & I adore it.

5⭐️ . (I rounded up because since finishing, my heart has grown even fonder.) Out 11/15.


CWs: the show producers are jerks at times who have certain body and/or beauty expectations for the leads—particularly for Maria. Maria was a foster child who was repeatedly uprooted & sent to live with new families. Parental death. Former infidelity & partner abandonment.

ID: a white hand holds up the book in front of one of the Forest giants at Bernheim Forest.

DNF @ 50% - I really enjoyed the first two books of this series, but I felt like it was a carbon copy of the same plot format again and again. it’s got the ali hazelwood syndrome.

the pacing was so off, the characters were the same as always (giant man love interest, tiny blonde female), and the time jump? was it necessary to skip ahead 6 years? probably not.

it definitely had the makings of a good story but the follow through was very weak.

This one was a 3.5 for me, rounded up to 4. I love that it started in the middle of a s*x scene. I mean, dang. Way to begin with a bang! (literally).

At first, I didn't think I was going to like Peter, but he grew on me as the story went on, and both of them were actually softies under the hard exterior.

The main reasons that I didn't LOVE it were all the extra things (script, texts, etc). It was too much and in my opinion really took away from the story. I also thought that sometimes the inner monologues were over the top and too long.

BUT I love the way it ended and I thought the love story was very sweet.

Olivia Dade never fails me. I love that both characters are fat and absolutely obsessed with each other. It was how I love my romances: hot and heart-wrenching.

Here’s the thing. I love plus-sized representation in romance as a plus sized woman. I thought this love story between Peter and Maria was very sweet. And you get the happily ever after.

What I don’t love is at 70% of nearly every romance book, some conflict (usually surrounding communication) breaks the couple up. It drives me absolutely bonkers, and this conflict was SO STUPID (in my opinion). They are freaking actors, who shoot for months at a time, make commitments, etc. the fact they couldn’t even attempt to compromise was a huge red flag to me.

Overall, the book was okay.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 54% - I just couldn’t do it anymore.

I am disappointed, this is my first book by Olivia Dade, and I was completely drawn in by the premise. Two actors who are pining over each other for years when they are filming on location for 6 long years? Yeah, it sounded great, but the execution was severely lacking in this one. I didn’t find either of the MCs likable and I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two of them either. The location of the book also took place on a desolate Irish island (which I was excited about) but there were no descriptions of the island or their surroundings, so I constantly forgot they were supposed to be on this island.

The timelines of the book were all over the place as well, sometimes we would jump back in time, sometimes we would fast forward a week or a few months. Then by the 50% mark we were already through their whole 6 years spent on location and we were moving to a new plot point. I wanted the book to continue to cover the 6 years on location to really get a feel for the characters pining after each other, but that didn’t happen.

This book was also very preachy and the author didn’t do this in a particularly tactful way - I just found myself rolling my eyes the majority of the time. So DNF on this one, so glad I didn’t buy this book.

Thank you Netgally, for the ARC.

3.75 ⭐️ 2.5🌶

Sweet story of costars and their journey to finding love. They started off as strangers who had a one night stand only to become co stars filming in a remote location - for years! Their time working together became a very slow burn romance story as they challenged each other and developed a friendship.

The book was a bit slow for me. The love story was told across 6 years of working together. I loved how the intertwining timelines of both Alex and Marcus’ love stories playing out at the same time.

This was a sweet read with a strong heroine who isn’t ashamed of her body and does not hesitate to stand up for herself when pressure to fit the typical Hollywood physique.

🎬 Co-Stars
🐄 Hero with Bovinophobia
❤️ Lovers to friends to lovers
⛰Forced proximity
🇸🇪 Strong, sassy, Swedish Heroine
😂 Hilarious bickering
➕ body positivity

Thank you Net Galley and Avon and Harper Voyager publishing for the ARC. All opinions here are my own.

I have been an Olivia Dade fan for a while now, so my excitement was through the roof when I received this arc!

First off, the cover is GORGEOUS! I love that the character descriptions in the story perfectly match the illustrations.

I adored that both the MCs were described using the word fat and not curvy. That is a massive step in the right direction for fat-positivity in the romance genre. Starting the book with a bang (metaphorically and physically) was such a tease, but then the slow burn hit, and I was very into it!

I really liked Peter and understood his personality, but Maria was more of a mystery to me. I had a harder time connecting with her than I did with Peter, which is usually the opposite of what happens in a contemporary romance novel. I always find myself relating to the female protagonist, but in this case, it was the hero I connected with.

I loved the age gap, the spice was on point and the continuation of the Gods of the Gates universe was exactly what I needed! Overall, a great read!!

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade was the perfect conclusion to the Spoiler Alert series. Dade is an expert at writing beautifully complex characters with utmost care. Maria and Peter’s story was quirky, tender, heartfelt and witty.

This story was a journey, much like Maria and Peter’s relationship. They are messy and complicated, hurt from childhood traumas, grief, and broken promises. The story takes place over 6 years and begins with a one-night stand. The next day they find out they are co-stars filming on a deserted island for the next 6 years.

Their rocky relationship turns into a beautiful friendship full of support, kindness and understanding. They pine for each other for 6 years and have a soul deep connection that turns into the loveliest romantic relationship. They see each other’s flaws and weaknesses and truly see each other. Maria bridges the gap to help introverted and shy Peter become more social and less isolated by including him in conversation and gatherings. It takes Peter longer to see what Maria needs, family and belonging, but he faces his demons to provide that for her in the end.

Ugh, just such a beautiful, beautiful journey. Maria and Peter have become my favorite couple from the Spoiler Alert series, I just love them so much. Also, I am obsessed that both characters are plus sized/ don’t fit conventional standards of beauty. Well done, Olivia Dade!

Loved the story line! Very entertaining and such a fun book! I gave 4 stars because I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I like to feel, but didn’t take away from the overall reading enjoyment!

CW: death of parent, body shaming

I really loved this story. I loved Maria and Peter. I loved that Maria helped the film crew build a family out on the island. I enjoyed that she helped Peter come out of his shell. Watching them become friends on the island was so enjoyable and watching them fall in love was just so lovely. I really enjoyed all the texts, emails, and fan fics that popped up between the chapters. I did like that both Maria and Peter realized that they had to compromise a little at the end. I was glad that they both were able to listen to each other and make those compromises. I loved this story a lot.


**This book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.**

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

I’m pretty sure I’ve said this with every Olivie Dade book I’ve read, but Ship Wrecked is now my new favorite of hers. Like the first two books in the series, it’s fun and self-aware, both poking fun at and unpacking the issues of the entertainment industry (including a certain fantasy series adapted from an unfinished series of books that went off the rails once the show’s timeline surpassed the books’).

Peter and Maria also make the books stand out from the others. While the series thus far has featured fat rep, the prior two books have featured fat women in non-public facing roles, while the actors from the show featured as heroes were conventionally attractive. This time around, not only are both actors on the show, but both are fat. And in typical Dade fashion, the story doesn’t dwell on their size, but it is a brief plot point to both show how the public responds positively to the casting choice, while the showrunners try to look for excuses to walk back on their decision and attempt enforce toxic weight expectations, although it should be noted, this is an issue that is resolved in the actors’ favor.

However, it is just one scenario that shows how differently Peter and Maria approach their acting careers and lives. Maria is a successful stage actress from Sweden, while Peter is an up-and-coming character actor, who got his breakout role on Gods of the Gates, and aspires to keep up that momentum, especially with his drive to prove that acting is a lucrative career path to his skeptical father.

Both are also the perfect balance of tough/with sharp edges and massive softies. Each of them have their own insecurities, and I loved seeing them interact, figuring out what makes the other tick.

Dade somehow manages to create a perfect slow burning romance, simmering with sexual tension, from a the “early one night stand” trope. I don’t know if it’s just that her characters are so likable, but their dynamic feels so realistic. There’s a lot at stake for them, and Dade makes it all believable and worth investing in. Maria’s delightful Swedish nicknames for Peter are a riot, and the way they care for each other (for the most part) throughout, really seeing each other, is so beautiful.

With this likely being the last book in the series, given the way the epilogue wraps things up, it’s also fun to see what the rest of the cast is up to, from their cameo appearances to the interstitial text chats. Lovable, chaotic Alex continues to steal the show in the most fun ways, particularly in the way sent a particularly steamy fanfic involving their characters to both Peter and Maria, which (unbeknownst to Alex) became inspo for a particularly steamy real-life encounter.

This book is everything I wanted and more. If you’re a fan of Olivia Dade and the series thus far, you won’t be disappointed. However, even if you’re new to her work, this is a wonderful place to start, especially if you’re looking for a story with positive incorporation of body diversity for both men and women, I recommend picking this one up!

I really enjoyed the third installment of this series by Olivia Dade! I love the body positivity, not only when it comes to plus-size and fat positivity but body hair positivity as well. Our main character Maria doesn't shave and had no shame about it and I was shooting "Yes queen!" every time she mentioned it. I love that both she and the other main character, Peter, were described as straight up "fat". Not "curvy", "plus-sized", "soft-in-the-middle", but FAT. Because I feel that it helps to destigmatize the word and to show that someone can be labeled as fat but still be healthy.

Plot-wise, I went back and forth on if I liked it and ended up deciding that while I liked it, I didn't LOVE it. Maybe it was because I wasn't expecting a six year time jump only 30% into the book but in the end it worked out fine. I enjoyed how realistic Maria's and Peter's relationship was. They're both 30-something year olds that find love "late" in the game. They're established adults that know what they want and that's refreshing to read when a lot of romance can center around young adults. There were times were their relationship was frustrating and I found Maria frustrating or Peter frustrating but I think that was the point! These two are set in their ways and need to find a compromise to be with the person they love. They're at the age where love isn't enough, where they need those other things in their life as well to feel happy and fulfilled: stability, a career, a place to call home, etc. Olivia Dad succeeded and making Maria and Peter almost painfully relatable.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and was satisfied with the ending!