I was so excited to read this one after listening to and loving the audiobooks for Spoiler Alert and All the Feels!!! Oliva definitely doesn't disappoint with Ship Wrecked!!

I love how she writes plus size! She writes them so well - not characters that are whiny or embarrassed by it but characters that embrace and own it!! I truly love it!! Plus, the banter is hilarious and spot on! I'm literally laughing out loud while reading it! The plot like the series is more character driven and I'm here for it! These characters are deep and so multifaceted! They have tough family dynamics and skeletons in their closets but they grow and work through things. I love reading it even though sometimes it makes me scream and want to throw my book across the room or curl up in a ball and cry. I love that you feel all the feels when reading these books!

I enjoy the group chat. It cracks me up! And it's fun to catch up with characters from past books! It definitely has its spicy moments and is slow burn!! Their chemistry is awesome!!

Every book in this fan fiction inspired series is FANTASTIC! Olivia Dade writes swoon worthy men and Peter Reedton is one of the swooniest!! Will be buying the physical copy and reading again as good as I get it!

“She was a midnight sun, drawing everyone in her orbit. She shone. She brightened everything around her. Including him.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Olivia Dade is the queen of pining, longing, banter, and intimacy. Each book is new, thrilling, and swoon-inducing. She also beautifully builds characters who are so realistic and relatable and complex. In Peter, you get a man who has social anxiety due to his strained relationship with his father. In Maria, you have a shining star of a woman who once was a cold, sad child until the right family found her and loved her unconditionally. SHIP WRECKED delivers all those wonderful feelings Dade promises in each book, and weaves together a story that honors her characters. It’s truly masterful.

Maria sneaks out of the hotel room she stayed in the night before without leaving a note with the man asleep in bed. But hours later she sees him again, reading for the part of Cyprian to her Cassia. He’s very unhappy to see her, which is unfortunate—seeing as they’ve just been cast as leading characters on one of the biggest shows in the world. To make matters worse, they’ll have to film on a deserted island for years. At every turn, the question of whether they should give in to their attraction for one another or prioritize their careers arises. But once the show ends, that problem goes away…right?

🌟FAT REP: BOTH MARIA AND PETER ARE FAT YALL!!!!!!! BOTH OF THEM!!!!! The way Maria and Peter’s bodies are described is FANTASTIC. They’re both big, tall, strong, round, and soft. There are instances of workplace fatphobia in this book, but great representation of advocating for oneself and destigmatizing fat bodies. P.S. Maria doesn’t remove any of her body hair and I love seeing that in a fat character 💛

❤️‍🔥 FAT HERO & FAT HEROINE
❤️‍🔥 Grumpy/Sunshine
❤️‍🔥 One night stand to costars to enemies to friends to lovers
❤️‍🔥 THE SLOWEST BURN AND THE LONGEST PINING
❤️‍🔥Found Family
❤️‍🔥 Forced Proxixmity

SHIP WRECKED releases 11/15/22! Thank you to Netgalley, Avon, and HarperCollins for allowing me to read this ARC.

Yet another hilarious and sexy hit from Olivia Dade.

She's incredible at writing characters that feel very human and believable, and are ones you want to root for (except Ian; we all hate Ian). Maria and Peter were obviously the stars but it's so fun to see more of our main couples from the previous books plus the whole Gods of the Gates core cast group in all their glory. And our new island family were such welcome additions!

I loved Maria and Peter's dynamic and it was so fun getting glimpses into how their relationship - and they as people - grew and changed over the course of 6 years. They're hilarious together and so well matched at the end of the day.

Maria's attitude towards her body and diet culture and Hollywood were such a breath of fresh air. Her take no shit but still very kind personality was a delight and Peter's heart never stood a chance. I also found many aspects of Peter's personality relatable and thoroughly enjoyed seeing him find a family and grapple with his fears.

As a sidenote, the way this book opened in a startling but great way.

Can we talk about the opening of this book?! Whew! Then whoa. Then where can we even go from here?! It goes! It went!

I’ve had to really sit and think about this book and how to review it. I think for that very reason it is a five star read.

One of the things that jumps out at me is the depth of the characters. Self aware but still learning and evolving and making mistakes and growing. I think thats what I’ve really been marinating on. Its this underlying layer thats just a little deeper.

I love Maria and Peter. I found their struggles real and refreshing. I didn’t know exactly what was to come next.

Olivia Dade, I cheer for you and look forward to your next series. I love the diversity you represent in your books.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. My review is honest and my own.

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade
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The first time Peter saw Maria, sparks flew. After one night together, Peter wakes up alone. That same day he lands an amazing acting job. His costar? Maria.
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Another great story from Dade! Maria was such a girl boss and I loved that about her! She stuck up for herself and her coworkers, which quickly won me over.
I also loved how Maria won over surly Peter too. Peter was a bit of a tough nut to crack but once his back story came to life I could appreciate him and his take on life. I love Peter and Maria together.
And the bonus goodness of seeing the cast watch the series finale together was everything I had hoped it would be.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more from this author. This book could be read as a stand alone but I read the books in order and I really enjoyed it that way. Pub date 11/15/22.

What a delight! This series and book have brought me joy over the past few years as the body positive love stories have made me feel seen in a way other contemporary romance novels have not done. I truly love the through line of characters from book to book, the mixed media telling, and the fantasy show tie in.
While sometimes overly saccharine, the cross cultural love story between Peter and Maria had deep emotional complexity and the twist on enemy to lovers was enjoyable!

"Ship Wrecked" has several truly wonderful components to the book. Olivia Dade is building off her Gods of Gates cast members from "Spoiler Alert" to "All the Feels". The scenery and world setting are fully established and she has showcased her skills for some truly snarky and hilarious dialogue. On an added level of complexity, Dade has integrated very real stigmas that everyday people encounter and brought them to the forefront of her storyline. My one criticism of "Ship Wrecked" is that the climax took a really long time to show itself.

The immediate dissension in the story is about poorly communicated expectations (okay, almost no communication), during a hookup. It becomes apparent that both Peter and Maria are still interested in each other and have personal issues that caused the miscommunication (again, I'm being generous). However, the readers are only given very vague references to past relationship trauma and an unidentified issues with parental upbringing. Around 65% of the way through the story, we finally learn the important details around Maria and then Peter's hangups. Only to have a (maybe) third(?) obstacle crop up in the last 15% of the book.

Do not get me wrong, this book was an enjoyable read and I will stupefy my friends with vague references to their "blue cupboards" for years to come. However, I kept waiting to understand why there were so many barriers to their relationship and it took a long time to come to a resolution when the underlying emotion of the story was the love between these two fragile and complex human beings.

Special thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

Likeable protagonists, found families, body positivity, wildly strong women, and Dade's signature slow burn to raging inferno romance. Yes, please!

Now this is a slow burn! Even though Peter and Maria's relationship started with a hot one night stand, they quickly cooled things off after they learned they were costars in an upcoming big budget film. I liked that the story takes place over a few years, but at times there's a little lag in the story's development. Ship Wrecked has an awesome cast of characters in this book, and I love how the Olivia Dade writes fat characters. Overall, this is a nice addition to the Spoiler Alert series, and there are cameos from some of the main characters in the other books!

Maria and Peter are actors who had a sexy one-night-stand and end up stuck on an island together filming a new TV series. Maria left the morning after their hook up without a trace, leading the duo to an enemies-to-lovers style relationship. Peter is a brooding Viking, while Maria is a sunshiney, Swedish butterfly. This was a fun read with surprising emotional depth and has a fabulous supporting cast of characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and AvonBooks for the ARC of this title! Ship Wrecked is the first book I've read by Olivia Dade, and it certainly won't be my last. The story follows Peter and Maria, co-stars on a hit TV show that also happen to be each other's best one-night-stand. Part friends-to-lovers, part second-chance-romance, this was an altogether great romcom!

Things I loved about this book...
- Both MC's are plus-size and the body positivity was off the charts! I loved reading a book where size isn't shied away from, but embraced.
- The banter! Maria and Peter's dialogue had me laughing consistently throughout the book. I aspire to be as badass and sassy as Maria one day.
- Heavy topics like childhood and relationship trauma were handled well and (I thought) realistically.
- The steam! This book starts off HOT, cools off for a while, then delivers again. No cringeworthy moments or secondhand embarrassment to be found here.
- The cast of characters was diverse in several aspects. No cookie-cutter characters here!

Things I didn't love...
- The book felt a bit long. It's hard to tell since ARCs don't show a page count, but based on the time estimate my Kindle gave, it was significantly longer than most romcoms I've read.
- I wish jumps in the plot timeline were denoted at the beginning of chapters. Without them, it was hard to tell where we were in time since there were some chapters that seemed to jump ahead several months, sometimes years.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It did take me a while to get through the first 25% or so, but after that I flew through. I don't think it was the book's fault per se, but had more to do with the fact that I had so many other books going and knew this one wasn't "due" for a while. I look forward to reading more of Olivia Dade's backlist!

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade is the third book in her popular Spoiler Alert series but can easily be read as a stand-alone. I love this series, and Ship Wrecked is a wonderful addition.

Story Recap:
Maria has a one-night stand with Peter, both knowing it will be the last time they see each other. However, a bit later, they realize they have both been cast in a television show that will take them to a remote island for six years!

Peter knows that this part will give him much better choice roles when he’s done that will give him the financial stability he’s been looking for. He won’t do anything to ruin his chances, so he decides to stay away from Maria, no matter how strong his attraction is. Can Maria and Peter work together for six years while denying their chemistry?

My Thoughts:
This slow-burn romance was a lot of fun to read. It starts right in the middle of their one-night stand in Los Angeles and then continues on the Island where they film the television show. I thought filming a television show for six years was a bit much, but the author convinced me that this happens. It’s not like they are on the Island the entire six years either, as they have breaks for holidays etc.

I liked this romance very much as there was certainly chemistry, and on the show, they were lovers, so they had to pretend to love each other, while both vowing to keep their hands off each other in real life. This caused quite a push-pull for the romance during the book.

I also enjoyed the appearances of the previous characters in the series as it’s always comforting to see that they are still together and happy. Their correspondence between each other and the new characters in the tv show was hilarious.
Recommendation:
I highly recommend Ship Wrecked to anyone who enjoys romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I couldn’t put “Ship Wrecked” down. Peter and Maria have a beautiful story of being able to see past first impressions and learning to love someone for who they truly are. I loved that their Gods of the Gates characters were isolated, so they were isolated, and we got to dig deeper into their relationship with each other without major outside distractions.

My only gripe that brings this down to a 4 is that sometimes the body positivity talk can have the opposite effect of the seeming intent. Both characters being plus size is excellent, because there should be more plus size representation. However, some of the commentary almost feels like body shaming, even if that’s not the intent of the author. Fat isn’t a four-letter word but in some instances it feels like it’s being wielded that way.

Ultimately I love the universe Dade has created, I love the cameos that the others made in this third book, and I hope that we will get more from it. I just hope that the future books will bring more of a feel of acceptance for someone’s body and not the feel of being “other”.

4 stars

Such a satisfying end to this series! A slow-burn friendship with tension, lots of room for quiet dramas and growth, and a sweet romance at its core.

Characters: ★★★ 1/2
Plot/Pacing: ★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★

Ship Wrecked comes out on November 15!

Please Note: This book is the third installment in the Spoiler Alert series by Olivia Dade. While this is technically a standalone romantic story between two characters, I highly recommend reading this series in order to get the full context. There are a TON of references to the first two books in this one, and Maria and Peter's story exists in a dense bubble of context references from the other books.

Maria and Peter are both costars on the same TV show, Guardians of the Gates. It's a Game of Thrones-esque show with an international following and a lot of drama and character arcs.

Their characters play two isolated gods who have been stranded on a remote island with just the two of them.

It's just them. And a small production crew. On a very small island. Staying in a limited-space boutique inn.

Why does this matter, you ask?

Because Maria and Peter had an explosive, no-holds-barred sexy one night stand the night before they both landed roles on Guardians of the Gates. After one night of perfect passion, the last thing either of them thought would happen would be to see each other again. And now they're not just seeing each other—they're acting face to face, in a remote location, for several years of filming.

It's not... shall we say... ideal. Especially when their passion still exists, and yet personal hang-ups and a desire to maintain professional boundaries keeps them from ripping each other's clothes off and resuming their hot-HOT chemistry.

Can these two costars make it through the slowest burn of their lives? What will happen once they have the space to make their own decisions?

Ooooooh, oh. Ship Wrecked was fun, y'all. I enjoyed it very much. The tension, the soft drama, the dual points-of-view of two characters and their unique torture of falling in love while being unable to admit it?? Delicious.

This was a very sweet end to a wonderful romance trilogy. I think fans of Spoiler Alert and All the Feels will be quite satisfied. I definitely was! While this one had the most worldbuilding context and the least amount of fanfiction references—the first two books were heavily influenced by fanfiction internet culture—I do think Maria and Peter's story fit the series. And, just as important, Ship Wrecked provided a happily-ever-after ending for all of the people we've grown to love over the series.

Thank you to Avon for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the romance. I liked the setting and romantic situation and I appreciated the characters were plus size and sex positive. However, I found the story stilted and the writing awkward. The way so much time passes without scenes felt wrong. So much so that the HEA didn't feel completely earned.

I love love love love love love love love Olive Dade!!! She somehow created these two characters and made them both such real loveable people, that most times you forgot they were actors. You forgot these 2 were supposed to be super successful actors she made them so relatable. The way she made Maria such a feisty character that just fought for everything she believed in no matter what it cost her, and Peter was a fallible man who towards the end admitted he wasn't perfect didn't deserve her yet would do anything to be with her and loved her with all he had. AHH!! Just loved this book!

What I especially loved about this series is how everything is happening simultaneously throughout all 3 books. I think it might even be harder to write but it makes it such an enjoyable experience for the reader. I've said it before, and I'll say it again I will read anything Oliva Dade writes.

I received an Arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review as always, all words are my own.

TWs: fatphobia (challenged on-page), death of a parent (off-page), cheating (off-page)

Olivia Dade's books are always a good time, and this was no exception. However, it didn't quite measure up to Spoiler Alert, my favorite of hers, in my opinion.

The timeline of this book didn't quite work for me. The first 1/3 or so of the book took place over the six years that Maria and Peter starred in Gods of the Gates, and it felt rushed to me. It's difficult to balance a timeline like that because you don't want to drag it out, but you also want it to be meaningful enough that you can see the relationship develop between these two characters, and we didn't get that, unfortunately.

The ending didn't make a ton of sense to me either. Maria and Peter are both actors and understand the responsibilities that can come with that job, yet that was the source of tension at the end of the book. The reasoning behind it both made sense and didn't, and the resolution wasn't very satisfying. It seemed like one character was getting everything, and the other truly received the short end of the stick.

I did love the body positivity in this book, and Maria was an incredible character in particular. She is such a confident, funny, badass who is unapologetically herself, and I rooted for her so easily.

While this wasn't my favorite book of Dade's, I still think this trilogy is still worth reading and would recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3/5. Releases 11/15/2022.

Peter and Maria are the stars of Gods of the Gates, TV's hottest fantasy show--and they happen to play the two most-shipped characters. What fans don't know? Just before they were cast, the two had a one night stand... which has not been repeated in the six years since, despite how much they both want it. But with the series about to end, Maria and Peter have an opportunity to act on the tension that's been simmering for so long--the question is, what will this lead to beyond one evening?

So I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. I literally don't know how to feel about it. I've been trying to think of clearer ways to express my vibes on books in general--let's try it out here.

What I Liked:
--The sex in this book is really, really good. Dade knows how to write it, she knows how to make sex correspond with the emotional development of the relationship, and I just believe all of it. Shedif also really gets a lot out of the sexual tension of two people who want to bone down so badly but instead have to act out intense sex scenes together. I totally bought it.

--Loved that Peter and Maria are both fat and presented as extremely desirable, not just to each other but the world at large.

--The age difference was perfection and added an element of complexity to the relationship.

--Maria's backstory was really heartbreaking, but not in a sappy, self-pitying kind of way. I really loved it; and honestly, I loved her. Sexy, blunt, confident, a bit damaged and distant but in a manner that came off as human rather than quirky. She's great.

What I Disliked:
--I thought the six year timespan was covered well, but the issue is that not enough happened to them individually. These people are two attractive, sexual adults who choose to not have sex for six years and they don't really have like... hookups, situationships, relationships in that time? I just didn't buy it. Six years is a long time, and they both felt like they were the same people at the beginning of the book and when they finally hooked up again.

--Peter is the type of hero that will work for many people, I'm sure. He did not work for me. He seems great in bed! But his insecurities are TOWERING. He's pissed that she left him without a word after their one night stand and essentially negs her about her acting ability--her work!--as a result. Literally, I would be done wit the man immediately. It was a one night stand bro, you're thirty-six, I don't super care about what damage brought you to this, that is so unattractive. Don't fuck with my work.

I also found that Peter's backstory was just... He has a good one relating to his family, which works as Maria's backstory is also related to family and parental relationships. But then, for some reason, Dade added another backstory which essentially amounts to Peter getting dumped by his ex-fiancee a few months into their engagement for reasons that... Listen, I don't think they were as black and white as the book made them out to be. I'm very wishy-washy on the evil ex thing in general--but this one just left me totally sympathetic to the ex. I got it. She just wasn't a good match for him. By the time he and Maria get together for real, it has been OVER SIX YEARS!!!! since they broke up. It had been a decent amount of time since the breakup when he sleeps with Maria the first time. This man is still sore about it! My God!

I suppose this is also where I can run into issues with contemporaries in general, which isn't Olivia Dade's fault. It's just harder for me to dismiss this type of shit compared to like... a rogue kidnapping a lady, or a vampire biting a woman without asking. Peter's misdeeds are comparatively minor, I guess, but they're so real. And I just know that I would be annoyed as fuck by them. Again, this doesn't mean he won't work for other people. These issues just made him very unattractive to me, which sucks because in the sex scenes he was very! Attractive!

--Let's get back to the fat rep. I do love that Maria and Peter are both hot fat people. As someone who's blogged a good bit about fat rep--I cannot wait until we're at the point where fat people are just characters, and their lives don't revolve around their fatness. It felt extremely unnatural to have Maria just randomly say in conversation to Peter, "amazing that this show is casting us, the resident fats, as characters who weren't fat in the source material". COOL. Maybe one comment would make sense, but this was said several times. There's a whole plotline about them being pressured to lose weight by the show--and while that's realistic, I just didn't want that from my fat rep romance. Maybe some people will like that; for me, it was just a huge bummer, and as the rest of this book wasn't particularly realistic, it didn't feel necessary.

It's mostly the *focus* they both constantly have on it, especially Maria, that got me. These two people get worked up and he suggests taking it to the shower and Maria's response is basically "that shower will not accommodate two people of our size". Okay? Why did we have this scene? Or I don't know, have them go to the bathroom and just naturally figure out how to make it work for sex things, which is what they do anyway? Like people just... do? I mean, if we're going off that book cover and the general descriptions, Peter and Maria are big people, but I don't think either of them are so big that every basic act turns into a TASK.

I don't know, it was just kind of.... not what I wanted in a romance about fat people. I did not find it comforting or validating or reflective of life. It was just awkward.

The Verdict:
Here's the thing. For all that I had big complaints, I did really like Olivia Dade's writing style, and the components I enjoyed I really got a lot out of. I'll definitely give different books by her a try--I just wanted this one to work so badly. It's a disappointment, but again, one that I think will work for other people.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley and Avon for an advanced copy.

I loved the first 2/3 of this book, and devoured it all in one night (but it was a school night so I had to stop). However...the last act nonsense reason why they couldn't be together was such bullshit it ruined everything. It made me hate Maria and all of her quirky personality traits became grating and annoying. I'm going to be honest, I couldn't even get myself to hate-read the last 4 chapters, just skipped right to the epilogue and hated it.

This book followed the typical pace and plot points of most romance and would have been on pace for a 3.5-4 star but it degraded to a 1.5 star rounded up for the steamy scenes and accurate representation of the Midwest.