Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy, in exchange for this honest review.

This is book #3 in the Gods of the Gate universe by Olivia Dade. I found Spoiler Alert (#1) a fun and novel concept and a root-worthy couple in Marcus and April, with some great body and neuro-diversity rep. I struggled with All the Feels (#2) for reasons I can't fully articulate...it just didn't work as well for me, and I found it to be a slog. Ship Wrecked (#3) captures some of the original magic in the series, with a slow burn lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, forced proximity romance. I liked Peter and Maria and how their hang-ups were explored. The pacing of the story felt a bit weird and there were some huge time jumps that felt like missed opportunities to show rather than tell.

As always with Olivia, her books never fail to make me absolutely swoon! The first thing that always enticed me into reading anything she writers is the amazing representation of a plus size character. I think it's so important in today's society to celebrate very body type, and I'm so gald I was able to find an amazing author who writes it so well. Now, onto the actual book. It wsa AMAZING! I love the slow burn. I have a love hate relationship with it, but when it pays off like this, it is totally wort every page! The main characters were so good, the sassiness was 10/10! The character development was amazing, and the chemistry between the two of them was so well written! Olivia never seems to miss, and this book just goes to prove that even more!

I am a huge fan of Olivia Dade and her Spoiler Alert series is my favorite hand down. I love the intersection of romance and fandoms and fan fiction, and it has just been an absolute joy to read. I blew through the 3rd book in this series, Ship Wrecked (out 11/15) in two sittings. I could not put it down. Ship Wrecked tells the story of Peter and Maria who have a fiery one night stand and then find out the next day that they’ve been cast as co stars and romantic leads in the hugely popular show God’s of the Gates. This is a ridiculously swoony grumpy sunshine, lovers to friends to lovers, workplace romance featuring two fat leads and heaping piles of body positivity in a very non inclusive industry.

Both Peter and Maria have traumatic pasts, each of them losing parents at an early age. That trauma has played an enormous part in who they are, how they deal with challenges and relationships, and what they are looking for in long term partners. One of my favorite aspects of this story was how the two of them protected and shielded the other from aspects they knew would cut deeply, while also doing things to foster healing. The way Maria quietly nurtured opportunities for Peter to get close with their other cast members and crew and the way Peter (though it took him longer to figure things out) made sure to keep Maria as close as possible to her friends and family, understanding how vital that was to her general happiness, was so incredibly beautiful.

I also could not get enough of how unapologetically herself Maria was. She’s fat, she does not buy into arbitrary beauty standards like shaving any and all body hair, she has endless confidence in her professional abilities, and she does not compromise a single aspect of herself to appease the show runners. It was fucking epic and I want to be her when I grow up. And Peter, Peter absolutely fucking worships her. Dade managed the perfect balance of caring, thoughtful, soul deep friendship and trusting, scorching romantic and sexual chemistry.

As with the other books in the series, the entire cast makes an appearance through text conversations, emails, and con appearances. The timeline for all three books converged in this one so you’ll need some memory of those plots for this to hit like it should. Interspersed between chapters were also scenes from the show, excerpts from popular fan fictions, and entertainment news articles. Dade already did this so well in the first two book sin the series, but has only improved her craft in Ship Wrecked. This book was absolute swoony viking gods and fierce shield maiden perfection. I laughed, cried, and took a few cold showers and loved every single page. Thanks so much to Avon for sending me this early copy!

She's back!! All the Feels was a little bit of a bump for me but Ship Wrecked is exactly the kind of story I love from Olivia Dade. We focus on Peter and Maria now - starting with a one night stand, and ending with them being cast in one of the biggest shows on TV - Gods of the Gate. Which, funny enough, films on a small island for the next *several* years. She may or may not have handled the next morning great, for her own reasons. He may or may have not handled the announcement of her casting well.

Loved getting the small overlaps with Marcus and April, and Alex and Lauren. The group chats are the best. Except Alex ..

Thank you to Netgalley & HarperCollins publishers for the ARC of Shipwrecked by Olivia Dade. Disclaimer: I was given the opportunity to read this in exchange of my honest review.
The book follows Maria and Peter, they meet in a sauna and after a few exchanges they end up having a one-night stand. Peter is ready to never let maria go but she has other plans. She leaves without saying goodbye leaving peter in a sour mood. He has to move on since he has an audition, the most important one of his careers so far. Peter wants to get his first big role, he is ready, he has earned it, only when he gets there, he sees a familiar face.
Maria was not expecting to see peter again. Now after an audition that lands them the chance of a life time she will have to commit to spend a long time in a tiny island with peter while they film their parts. She is willing to make the best of it only to be verbally abused by peter.
Not up to a great start, but too bad since they are stuck. They need to work together for 6 years…
Now after my badly explained recap, the story is great. An attention grabber. I have been waiting on this book since I first saw that Olivia Dade was writing another book for this universe. It doesn’t hurt that it features my favorite tropes, forced proximity, kind of enemies to lovers but to be honest is more like strangers to lovers, lovers to enemies, enemies to colleagues and then it just so much longing. There is so much tension between peter and maria that when its finally released I did say out loud “finally!!”
the spice level I will say surprised me. I felt before that while we did get some blush worthy spice, there was not enough of it but for me it felt like It needed a bit more. This book had just the right amount. Both peter and maria are very vocal on what they want and how they want it. Ill just leave it at that.
In short if you like Spoiler alert and loved All the feels, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.
I enjoyed the read. I will keep an eye out for any future works of her.
Peter got on my nerves more than one time.
The conflict comes about 75 or 80 percent of the book. A bit late to my taste to be honest. The whole reason why they conflict happened felt like it could have been avoided. I get their points, but I felt like peter was not really thinking straight.

I was SO excited about Maria and Peter's book! The building of their relationship and the growing understanding of their pasts make this story beautiful. Olivia Dade typically has a character-driven plot and this one is the same.

I really enjoyed that they are plus-sized main characters, but it is just a character description. It never got in the way of the plot, it was just a trait. It was like they were tall or short.

As must as I loved this book, I did not think it was as much a home run as her others!

Overall, I laughed out loud, blushed, and cried when it was over. I am going to this set of characters.

Spice: 2/5
Overall: 4/5

Ship Wrecked starts with orgasms and then becomes a slow burn. Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert series has centered around a Game of Thrones-esque tv series called Gods of the Gates. In Spoiler Alert and All the Feels, we’ve seen Maria and Peter, two of the actors, flirt and banter in cast interviews and group chats. I try not to develop expectations about how a book is going to go, but even so, I was not expecting Peter and Maria’s journey to relationship.

There’s one particular moment in Ship Wrecked that has stuck with me since I first read it 5 months ago (I’ve reread it a few times since June). When Peter is talking with Maria about his father, he says “empathy requires imagination.” It’s not a new idea, but given the barriers between Peter and Maria, it’s important that Peter is the one who says it.

Peter is going to be a challenge for some readers, because when they meet after the initial one night stand, he is a complete skitstövel to Maria. He is a skitstövel more than once. The two are the only cast members in one plot line and film their scenes on a remote Irish island with a small crew over 6 years. Maria makes a choice to make the location a happy family unit and consciously includes Peter in that warmth even though he has been a complete jackass to her. One of the commitments of the Ethical Humanist movement is “act so as to bring out the best in others and thereby in yourself.” Maria decides to do the emotional labor necessary to bring Peter into the community she wants to build because she wants her work place to be warm and emotionally fulfilling. Her emotional well being is more important to her than professional achievement.

The book covers more than 6 years and in that time, Dade builds the friendship and trust between Maria and Peter. I love that she chose to show the slow build of their relationship. Maria believes in herself in a way that Peter does not. But as he watches her navigate the politics of the show, he becomes braver about advocating for her and on behalf of the crew. Where his imagination fails is in seeing that he deserves the same consideration from himself. I feel protective of this book’s heart. It is sweet and tender, with delicate scars from grief..

As tender as the book is, it is also riotously funny. Dade has also continued the thread of fanfiction. Peter and Maria, themselves and their characters, are the subjects of many works of horny fic, which Alex helpfully sends them.

CW: death of parents in the past, emotional abandonment by parent/caregiver, adoption, fatphobia, threats of starvation, battery by dolphin.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Maria and Peter have a sizzling night of sex, only to have Maria disappear the next morning…until Peter shows up at a call back for God of the Gates and auditions opposite Maria. The electric connection between these two is felt from the very beginning of the book all the way through six years of filming and the final season press junket. They remained just friends until the direct says the final “Cut!”, then all bets are off.

I loved the currents felt in this book. The pining. The protection. I have a lot of appreciation for author Olivia Dade’s incorporation of plus-sized main characters in this series, especially when both of the main characters for this book fall in that category. As much as I loved this book, there was irritation in phrases used within this book. I also feel that while Peter was called plus-sized, he was characterized as more of a football or hockey player with massive strength while I feel Maria was fat shamed. It made me angry for her and rubbed me the wrong way.

4 stars

Omg this was such a cute read I’m loving these plus size representation books keep them coming for us!!!

I adored this book!! I have not read the first two in this series so I was a little nervous to read this one, but while I am sure it would give some more context and back story to have read the other two first, this can absolutely be read as a stand alone too. The fat representation was empowering and didn't feel forced. The only issue I had was the third act conflict. I felt that the miscommunications and issues the couple had with eachother felt unreasonable, but I loved the fact that they worked it out and had a happy ending! Give me all the Peter and Maria stories! I just adored these characters. Would definitely recommend to a friend and am now going to go back and read the first two!

As with all of the books in this series, Ship Wrecked is just a really fun time. I love the mix of fandom, famous actors, fat romance heroes/heroines, and realistic relationship struggles. It was interesting in this book to start off with Maria and Peter having a one night stand, not knowing that they’re about to have to film a TV show together for years. It was fun to see how their working relationship and friendship developed before becoming romantic/sexual again.

I thought that the tension between Peter and Maria and the different ways they thought about their careers added a lot to the story. For Maria her family and friends are the most important thing and she’s willing to take risks with her career while Peter is super worried about having employment and money and doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.

The interstitials of group chats with the other cast members, excerpts of fanfiction, and commentary from fans adds a lot to the story. However, I was hoping to see a bit more fan response after the relationship was revealed. And while I do enjoy the other cast members as characters, sometimes there are so many of them that it feels like the story is a bit overloaded. Especially in the epilogue, it just felt like too much.

Overall this was a great time, I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from Olivia Dade in the future.

this book was very fun and very very cute!!! i love me a good plus size rep book and we need more books like this in the world please

I quickly found this book wasn't for me. I wasn't rooting for the MCs, which in a romance is an absolute must.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

Ship Wrecked is a hookup as strangers, to coworkers, to friends, to lovers. It’s SIX YEARS between their first hookup and when they finally get together. That period goes by fairly quickly so the slow burn isn’t too intense.

The romance is definitely open door and fairly detailed. There are maybe four or five explicit scenes, I didn’t keep count.

The third act breakup made sense with what we knew about the characters and I appreciated that they both made some mistakes. It wasn’t conflict for the sake of conflict. Definitely no miscommunication trope thank god.

If I had to rank the God of the Gates books I think I might like this one best of the three. I liked them all though.

Olivia Dade continues to impress. A very fun follow up with a second chance romance to adore. The characters were relatable even as they were actors, and the story was compelling. Definitely recommend.

I did not finish this book.

It is outside of my typical genre. I was interested to pick it up due to plus size main character representation and good reviews of her previous books. However, I felt the plus size issue was really being bashed over our heads to an unnecessary degree. I'm sure a lot of people will love this book, but it just wasn't for me.

I honestly really like Dade's books. I've read all three of the Spoiler Alert series, and enjoyed my time with them. She has great banter and great chemistry with a lot of her characters. I think Peter and Maria were my favorite couple so far. I like the slow burn energy of their romance, that we know they spent a lot of time together, and that they really seemed to care for one another. The sexual tension is fun, and I love how forward thinking Maria is when it comes to her body (something I think I've said didn't always fit with the two other women). Maria is someone who loves everything about herself, and it was so great to see her be a strong character.

That said, at certain times I still had some underlying issues with the book. It felt like, for a long time at least, none of Maria's needs and wants were questioned enough when stacked up against Peter. I almost thought we wouldn't see any growth from her at the end and it really made me upset. Some of her feelings felt a bit naive, and it felt like they needed a more drawn out conversation, especially considering how long they knew each other. That, plus a few harmful things I felt about Peter (he stays celibate in order to date her - why?, he seems a bit too weak in some moves when the last two characters seemed to be stronger in personality, etc.) left me from loving it. That, plus I still think the romance felt rushed and we don't know anything about these two outside a few things were are told and not shown. They are so caring, but never talk to friends. Maria loves family but never interacts with them on the page really. I don't know what type of hobbies they have or what they like outside one another. And after 440 pages, I feel like I should have some indication.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. It was fun, but I definitely had some caveats.

First I'd like to thank Netgalley, and
Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC copy.

Peter a big lumberjack of a man, meets Maria a thick woman from Sweden. They hook up after meeting in a suana, by the time the morning comes Maria has taken off without a word. Peter shakes it off and goes to a casting call in hopes off his next big break playing Cyprian , and looks forward to meeting his hopefully soon to be costar Cassia, when in walks Maria. They both get the part, and soon after we follow them to an Island in Ireland. Peter holds a grudge for Maria's swift exit after there brief hookup. And doesn't hold back in letting her know how untalented he thinks she is.

Things I liked. Envisioning a plus size woman and a burly man. That's about it.

I hoped for more from this book knowing how popular her other books are. Unfortunately I found it to be scattered all over the place. I also personally don't care for third person representation.

I'm not saying this book is awful, it just wasn't for me.

This was a lovely continuation of the Gods of the Gates world, following Spoiler Alert and All the Feels. I loved the characters and their storyline, depiction of the mental health struggles and the body inclusive rep. As with all of previous Olivia Dade books that I have read, I laughed hysterically especially the interstitial text message conversations and references to fanfiction. I did find the conclusion to the conflict to be a little bit cheesy, but as far as many contemporary romance authors go, Olivia Dade is at the top of the game.

I fell in LOVE with All the Feels and was thrilled to find out it was a series even if I read it out of order. I couldn't wait for this one to complete the series. I enjoyed Ship Wrecked as in Dade's true fashion it was a steamy, body positive, charming read. However, something just felt different about this one. I couldn't put my finger on it. There's plenty to love and I'm sure my expectations were a bit too high so while it's not my fav in the series it's still worth the read.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4