Member Reviews
I think Olivia Dade and I need to part ways, unfortunately. I really disliked ALL THE FEELS, and this one wasn't all that much better - a 2.5 star read I'm rounding down.
My biggest issue with ATF was how horrible Alex was about Lauren's body, and while Peter is much cooler about Maria's appearance than Alex was (even if Alex was meant to be joking about his feelings about Lauren), he still has a really gross moment where he reminds Maria that she's fat and could be replaced by a more conventionally hot actress and also is like super rude about her acting abilities? And he does apologize quickly and admit he was a dick, but I am 1000% not into heroes being dicks to heroines, particularly about their bodies.
The middle was fine enough and would have pushed it to three stars if not for the absolute dumbest conflict at the end, and I have a very high tolerance for Romance Reasons Dumb Conflicts. Throughout the book it feels like Dade is implying that the only acceptable way for someone to show love is the way the recipient would like to receive it? And I definitely think that it's important to demonstrate you love someone in a way that they find fulfilling, but I also think it's important to recognize when someone is demonstrating their love in the only way they know how to or feel comfortable doing.
Some other things bothered me about the book - the pacing is kind of weird, Maria and Peter both have issues stemming from exes that are just weirdly used, Maria is adopted, and I feel like that was used simply for the trauma and then the trauma was hardly explored, and Alex is once again a horrific human being, sending Maria and Peter real-person fanfics people have written about them which just seems like a monstrous invasion of privacy. There's enough here (and in the last two books) to tell me that Olivia is simply not an author for me. I definitely thought her last book was problematic, and I don't think that's true for this one, but it's time for me to move my energy into other authors.
I loved this book! It was actually the first in the series that I read so I can’t wait to go back and read the previous 2 books. The characters were funny and real. I loved the chemistry between Maria and Peter!!
Olivia Dade's Ship Wrecked is the third interconnected standalone in the Spoiler Alert series, following hollywood actor Peter Reedton and stage actress Maria Ivarsson.
The redemption arc for the Hero, Peter, was really good because, at first, he was a complete asshole who needed someone to knock some sense into him, but as time passed, he began to become a better person and learned from his mistakes. I also liked how Olivia, rather than "sugar coating" the description of a plus-sized woman, accurately described and represented a plus-sized woman. Olivia also used the word "fat" to describe the heroine, and Olivia made our Heroine a proud plus sized girl rather than an insecure or wanting to lose weight heroine, because in most books, it feels like the word "fat" is taboo because authors don't use it, or they talk about how the plus sized Heroine wants to lose weight because she's insecure, which never sits right with me.
However, this book, had a lot of time jumps, which was confusing but only in the sense that I didn't know whether years or months had passed, and despite these time jumps, the story didn't feel rushed. There's also the fact that after they finished filming the movie, I started skimming through and was bored until I got to 70% of the way through the book, when things started getting better and there was more drama. Third, I didn't like the third-act breakup because the Heroine was in the wrong because she wanted to pursue her acting dreams, but she wouldn't allow the Hero to pursue his acting dreams because it was across the world and she would be alone. The ending, on the other hand, made up for everything, and I thought it was perfect.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book, but I liked the representation and tropes.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and to the author, Olivia Dade, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
A delightful conclusion to the Spoiler Alert series. Ship Wrecked might be my favorite. This is funny, full of heart, and just the right amount of romance. My favorite enemies to lovers trope with a few delightful twists and turns.
“When he was a kid, his mom had called him a champion grudge-holder, and not much had changed since then.”
In this installment of Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert series, Ship Wrecked focuses on the new Gods of the Gates actors Maria Ivarsson and Peter Reedton. These new additions to the show portray characters Cassia and Cyprian, but unbeknownst to everyone, Maria and Peter have a past. Before gaining their famous roles, Maria had left Peter in his hotel room after a night of passion. Unfortunately, this decision resulted in Maria gaining an enemy. Peter is furious at how Maria left and decides to keep things professional with Maria no matter how hard she tries to make friends with him. Ultimately, these two are forced to work on a remote island while continuing to live their lives without discussing their past events. This leads to quiet tension between the two actors on and off the screen.
Without realizing it, this book deals with two people struggling similarly, the fear of abandonment. These two characters have other issues they are working through, with Peter suffering from his childhood difficulties and his overbearing father. Whereas Maria’s past results in her needing a support structure around her. As these two characters struggle with their producers, their silent attraction is so angsty. I love it and hate it. Most of the time, Peter tries to ignore his attraction to Maria by remembering her leaving him in his hotel room. Maria is trying to survive in the Hollywood system and struggling with her attraction to Peter as he agrees with the creative liberties of the Gods of Gates producers.
While a great and fun read, the only issue I had with the book was the break-up on a misunderstanding before the happily ever after. Otherwise, this is an excellent romance with a slow burn, pining for love and acceptance while simultaneously trying to manage a new career theme.
Recommended for fans of plus-size main characters, slow-burn romance, and a snarky heroine.
Thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you so much to Avon and NetGalley for sending me not just an eARC of this book, but a PHYSICAL ARC of it as well. The legitimate heart eyes I had when I opened that package...I looked like a cartoon character.
If you've followed any of my reviews or videos, you know I will constantly shout from the rooftops my love of this series. I read Spoiler Alert last year and adored it, I read All the Feels at the beginning of this year and I adored it...this is absolutely no different.
While Spoiler Alert remains my favorite of the three, Ship Wrecked is a very close second. It is (kind of?) a slow burn, in that our characters have a one night stand in the very beginning, and you follow them dancing around each other for the next five years and they develop a friendship and fight a relationship while they have to work together on Gods of the Gates.
And when they stop fighting? The STEAM factor, let me tell you. These two were off the charts, and it was DELIGHTFUL. Their camaraderie was great, but the one knock I have on this book is a slight use of miscommunication at the very end. If they'd sat and actually talked about their feelings on what was happening, a lot of the end would have gone differently, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't frustrated with the both of them during those chapters. Their compromise though? Chef's kiss.
This book, similar to the others in the series, got five out of five stars from me and will continue to be some of my favorite romances of all time.
I was so excited to receive this ARC from Avon! It helped break a major reading slump, giving me the boost of serotonin my brain needed.
A list of things I loved about this book:
- Grumpy/sunshine dynamic
- A bad@ss female lead who takes no sh$t
- Lovers-to-enemies-to-best friends-to-lovers
- Found family
- Strong body positive message
- H-A-W-T
- Top notch grovel
- Chat transcripts
- Fun Swedish words!
Although it’s the third book in a series, I believe this can be read as a standalone. Peter and Maria’s story follows it’s own parallel timeline, much like the characters they play on “Guardians of the Gate.” It eventually includes events from the previous two books from Peter and Maria’s perspective — which made me want to go back and re-read all the books as one cohesive story.
This will definitely go on my list of books to buy!
this was so cute!! the slowburn and tension really hit as well. i'm so glad we got two fat mc that got the love and happiness they deserved! i haven't read any other books in this series but i still caught on just fine. can i just mention how cute peter was. i loved seeing some roles reversed in this!
This book was amazing. This was an enemies to friends to lovers troupe. It covers a span of 6 years in the lives of two of the actors on a show called Gods of the Gates. This book follows the story of Peter and Maria. These characters are both overweight and proud. The slow burn that partners with the strong friendship bond if these characters shows a special connection. When they finally give in to their feelings, the heat turns up. I enjoy the character cameos from the other two books.
Ship Wrecked is another fun romance from Olivia Dade. I loved the life she gives to her side characters and the world in general. It's so exciting and cinematic, and I can really *see* what's happening. Maria and Peter were great, I loved how they needled each other. My one complaint would be the pacing. I understand it's difficult with a plot spanning many years, but there were times I was so confused about the timeline. I think I would have preferred the entire story take place during filming rather than just the first bit.
Ship Wrecked is the third novel in this Olivia Dade series that's set behind the scenes of a Games of Thrones-type TV show. I think it might be my favorite one of the series. I love the characters and this world she's created so much that I wish I never had to leave. The characters are so three-dimensional and flawed that they're relatable and seem like people you know and would actually want to spend time with in real life. The body representation is fantastic and I can't get enough of her kick-ass heroines.
Olivia Dade does it again. Making stories set in a pseudo-GOT set continue to seem fresh and new while having several similarities to the other books in the series.
This books is by far my favorite and I think that is all because of the real and flawed characters created Maria and Peter. Their slow burn romance feels so right without making the book feel slow and plodding.
I again enjoyed her style of breaking up chapters with blogs, transcripts, and text conversations.
DNF at 10 percent. I hated this from the beginning. The characters lacked chemistry and the inner thoughts and outer dialogue was awkward and cringeworthy.
Peter just scored the biggest role of his life. Too bad his love interest on the show is the alluring Swede Maria that ripped out his heart the morning after a night of incredible passion. Determined to not lend his heart again to a woman who does not deserve it, Peter easily reestablishes the tall wall around his heart. However, the longer the show runs, the harder it becomes to resist Maria’s attempts to open him up, not only to her friendship but also to the show's cast and crew. Will Peter find the strength to let people in and risk the heartbreak another time?
While I think what will stand out for this book is its portrayal of body positivity (Maria's character has the self-confidence we should all strive for), I believe Dade should be commended for seamlessly weaving in dual themes of Abandonment vs. Found Family and Career vs. Happiness. Both these themes resonate deeply in our current times. I love it when an author can create natural conflict by portraying two opposing viewpoints of the same theme within the lead characters. Dade established a vibrant cast of characters, each with their own unique voice. I think using mixed media chapters to convey character growth over the six-year span was very clever. This book is a modern epistolary novel with text message threads.
Nothing gets me turning pages faster than trying to figure out how these two characters will get their Happily Ever After (and I am so glad they did!).
Olivia does it again! The agnst of Maria and Peter is absolutely delicious and I am so sad that this series is over! Highly recommend getting into these books!
Ship Wrecked is the third book in the Spoiler Alert series by Olivia Dade. I haven't read the first two, but after reading this one I'm adding those to my cart. The synopsis sounded great: costars that had a one night stand years ago are now stuck together filming on a remote island. Olivia Dade did not disappoint. This was fantastic. The buildup and the pining are legendary. I still get warm fuzzy feelings thinking of this book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.
Ship Wrecked is the third book in this series and it was a bit more spicy than the others. Maria and Peter are delightful characters. I loved their banter and seeing them fall in love. Really great story. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the e-arc.
I am a big Olivia Dade fan and love her writing style, the world she sets up and the banter between all the characters AND the body positivity. I struggled to finish this one due to the timeline structure. Actors Maria and Peter have hot and heavy one night stand with instant chemistry. And then they find out they've got to use that chemistry onscreen been cast as the leads for their one-on-one filming schedule for the next 6 years. Since Peter knows they could burn out quickly, he won't risk this role on any relationship during the filming. There's a big jump to 6 years later and all of a sudden they are ready to re-start their romance. It took me a little bit to catch on to the time jump AND then it seemed kind of like the plot mulled around as Peter meets her family and they go on this last minute press junket to each of their hometowns. I wanted to like this more and look forward to Dade's next work. Recommended for readers who want a fun romance novel and want to read all the Spoiler Alert books.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in the Spoiler Alert series, this one was by FAR my favorite! I was lucky enough to receive an early copy for review on NetGalley and I read it as soon as I could.
First and foremost, I loved that both the female and male love interests were fat characters. And Peter is by far the most appealing of the three male love interests in this series. I just wanted to reach into the pages and give him a giant hug the entire way through!
But Maria. Now SHE is the star of this book. Sexy, confident, savvy, intelligent, family-oriented, and a loyal friend. I want to be her best friend!
I also loved the remote setting of this book and the found family aspect of the cast and crew filming in Ireland. Dade made me feel like I was right there with them.
In the acknowledgements Dade mentions she is working on a new series and I for one am more excited than Maria finding a jar of pickled herring from wherever she hides them.
If you haven't read this series yet, and you love a good Rom Com, don't sleep on Spoiler Alert, All the Feels, and especially Ship Wrecked!
Emotionally layered and spicy my GOD! This book was so much fun to read. I feel like I learned something about the filming process of tv shows, and maybe the not so glamorous side of having an acting career. I loved the plus sized representation, and the way Maria and Peter slowly began to let their walls down with each other was realistic and swoony.
Shame on me for not having read Olivia Dade before!