It may be genuinely impossible not to be charmed by an Olivia Dade novel, I think Ship Wrecked proves that point perfectly.

Peter and Maria are such a fantastic couple in this novel, their chemistry is sizzling, their friendship feels true and based in concrete history between them, and their issues completely make sense as to why it would be difficult for their relationship to be solely smooth sailing. What I love best about Olivia Dade's books is that nothing feels overly dramatized, and yet they are extremely compelling and hard to put down. Peter's issues with his father and his need for security feel completely true to life, as do his realizations and his worries. Maria's backstory breaks your heart while also feeling perfectly in tune with the character that we've gotten to know over half the book.

Reading this flew by and the crackling wit of the characters is one of the major highlights. The jokes are charming, the banter flies, and you just like living in the world with these characters for as long as you can.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series- but I think this is my least favorite of the 3 so far. But then I read Olivia Dade’s acknowledgments at the end and can’t imagine trying to be funny and cute and happy and full of love when dealing with Covid depression, so it makes total sense. I love how long term she planned out too- the same text conversations are in all the books and the feelers were there since book 1!

#ShipWrecked #NetGalley #oliviadade

Olivia Dade, my queen of fat representation in rom coms!!! This might be my favorite one yet.

I loved watching Maria & Peter’s relationship grow from the one night stand, through their first months of filming, and on to the end of their time as co-stars. I only wish the timeline didn’t jump around so often, so I could’ve seen more of the sweet little moments on set and in their day to day life - Maria subtly bringing Peter into the group conversations, Peter’s little sacrifices to support Maria against the show runners, and most importantly, the growth of their on-set family. I’m confident I could’ve read through all six years of their filming and still enjoyed every minute.

It was also so fun to see glimpses of favorite characters from her other books, and see how these two fit into the mix. This series started as borderline y/n fanfic and has turned into such a delightful collection of the sweetest romance novels. 4.5 stars!!!

I was wrecked by the opening scenes of Dade's third entry into the Spoiler Alert series. Steamy, wistful, and wanderlusty (is that a word? anyways...), Ship Wrecked follows actors Maria and Peter thru several years of longing, island-living, and fandom as they navigate how they feel about each other and their careers. Maria is Swedish, strong-headed, and the sunshine to Peter's dark brooding cloud of seriousness, introspection, and (secret) softness. Both have dealt with trauma and challenging family dynamics and long for a love that is steady and dependable.

This book flew by for me -- in a year where I'm reading very slowly. However, I was both confused by and a little disappointed by the frequent shifts in time that occur throughout this book, from several months at the beginning to a six year leap in time about 30% of the way in. The story is told in a linear fashion, so that helps, but I can't help wondering about all the little moments that happened along the way as these two worked and lived alongside each other. Despite developing a close friendship, they still knew next to nothing about each other's families or past until they started to lean into their feelings for each other.

However, once the time jump does happen, I loved getting to know these characters more deeply and to see them struggle with the career decisions of actors amongst other priorities in life ( such as, *cough* love). The supporting cast is a ton of fun, and features some familiar names and personalities from Dade's previous two installments (with lots of fun text conversations and nods to fanfiction, though less prominent than before). I love the way that Dade writes the sex scenes -- there was *just*enough of them (or were there??). I was also enamored with Maria's family and would love to see some extended scenes of Swedish familial nonsense. Overall, this book is a fun, lovely romp that any existing fan of Dade's will enjoy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the early review copy, all opinions are my own.

Olivia Dade reels in the readers again continuing the saga of the Gods of the Gates actors by introducing readers to Peter and Maria. Peter and Maria's first meeting was a no holds barred sexual frenzy that left Peter alone the day of a big audition. As he's waiting, in walks his one night stand and apparently his ticket to the role of a lifetime. After they both get cast, they're sent to film their roles on a very secluded island, with each other, a small crew, and the locals. Dade lets the years go and shows how they both grow and their relationship blossoms. Following them over the years really brings a different dimension to the story and makes their relationship's ups and downs more believable, more heartbreaking, and more rewarding. Must read!

Maria and Peter share two major things in their lives. First, their one night stand that neither can seem to forget, and second, oh yeah, the tv show where the both get hired as actors. After that frivolous night the two spent together, they not must work side by side as co-stars on their new tv shows, The two refuse to touch each other for the six years the show films, but on the night of their last filming, both of their restraint's break. How have these two survived each other for so long, and now that the show is over, will they be able to stay just friends?

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade is a funny, heartwarming, and fast-paced romance novel, I have read a few Olivia Dade novels but this one was by far my favorite, Peter and Maria are such interesting characters that create a dynamic that left me wanting more. I would recommend this to fans of the genre or those looking for a fun romance read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

Steamy! Romantic! Nautical! Nordic! "Ship Wrecked" has a lot to love and Olivia Dade did an excellent job. This is a great read for any romance lover.

This was a sweet friends to lovers story. After six years of filming together, Peter and Maria finally decide to give their relationship a chance. I really enjoyed the conversations that Peter and Maria had. Both have a tough past and their love and respect for each other was so lovely.

I haven't read the first two books in the series and while I had no issue reading it as a stand alone, there are a lot of references to characters from those books. So it might be helpful to read the books in order to get the full experience!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and recommend for those looking for a quick and fun read!

Much thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

To begin, I have read quite a few of Olivia Dade's books, and I have enjoyed them. But this book, I devoured it; and it is my far my favorite book she has ever written. I literally laughed, cried, and hummed happiness. The beginning of the book had a remarkable hook that continued the remainder of the novel. This couple is one of my favorites. Peter and Maria truly loved each other and that was never in doubt. I loved how the author also included other characters from previous books in this series and all the events that also tied together. The relationship felt real, and the characters spent time and energy making sure the other was happy and getting their happily ever after. The pacing was also perfect, and the time jump was seamless.

I highly recommend this book and thank you NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC. This review was left voluntarily.

Peter and Maria make the most iconic couple in TV history- Maria's untamed personality pairs delightfully with Peter's shyness and his burly outward appearance. I thought the intersperses of text messages were a cute way to see some insight to their relationship together and with castmates, however some of the placements seemed randomly placed. The first Cast Chat I was really confused because it was abruptly placed after a chapter and there was no segway in or out of the chat- so it seemed a little strange. But I loved how the characters developed and changed to suit each other. Super cute.

Another funny, charming entry in this series. Really enjoyed the respect that Peter and Maria have for each other (and their acting careers.) Nice callbacks to plot points in the first 2 books, as well.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book! I saw the beautiful cover and immediately knew I wanted to read it. Things I loved: the premise of this book. I love that they met and then ended up being costars on a remote island. I loved Maria! I loved her body positivity and overall boss attitude. She was unwilling to make sacrifices to please others and I loved that. I loved Peter’s character development. Seeing him come out of his shell and make friends on the set was so sweet and so much fun to read. With that being said, I didn’t feel a huge connection to either character or feel the chemistry that kept them pining for 6 years. I felt myself getting bored and putting the book down instead of dying to see what was going to happen.

Olivia Dade writes another book that pulls on your heart! With plenty of steam, a full and enjoyable cast, and a continuation of Gods at the Gates universe, you'll root for the two protagonists---though at times they will make it hard. This story unravels over a long period, and the characters' actions seem somewhat cold and hesitant... which makes total sense when you get to know them and their history. But you will have to wait to understand--it will be worth it! All the Feels was my favorite in this series, yet I've enjoyed every single book here. Each one has a different dynamic, and explores different themes. This one has two plus-size, somewhat closed off characters who want to love but are afraid of balancing that love with their career or getting hurt. The stakes are less high here, but the exploration of the characters arcs are deeper. All in all, this was a perfect wrap-up to this universe of characters and I know readers who loved the first two will love this one––and cheer at the conclusion!!

Olivia Dade is a wonder.

Each book I've read by Dade has been unique, each couple crafted completely and differently, and each story told 8n different ways.

This one? There's no foreplay, no smiles across a room, no charming meet cute. From page one, we're in the sheets.

Don't get me wrong, the plot's action takes place elsewhere, but it starts in a hotel bed.

Dade isn't playing around in this one. And it's so well-crafted that readers won't care that it's different.

Because it's GOOD.

Peter and Maria both deserve the best, neither can trust their own judgement, and readers will cheer for both of them. And it's a story told with such humor, you can't help laughing.

"Seals might not have fins, but they did have flippers optimized for effective slapping. He was pretty certain he could alienate them too, as needed. He was good at that."

i absolutely adore this book. everything was perfect. slight spoilers ahead - during the last part of the book, i will say that i was very close to being disappointed with maria as even though i understand the whole putting your needs above all else (something i adore that she does) i did think that she wasn’t being totally fair to peter in the whole idea of him getting a role for financial stability (especially after all that she knows of his family - i thought she would be more understanding). when peter realized that he was in the wrong (which he definitely still was, but not because he wanted finical stability or anything, more that he was letting others - his dad - still have a hold over what he thought and how that would affect his actions) i was definitely more understanding because it truly wasn’t what he wanted, landing that role wasn’t his dream nor was his house. but then it was taken a step further! maria too realized how unfair she was being and thus concluded the most perfect ending to a third act breakup! all of that was to say that even though it was a little confusing and may have made me dislike maria and peter for a bit - it was worth it in the end, but i fear some readers may not see it that way and feel that it was a bit too much for it being more than 85% done. all in all i adored the way it turned out!

4/5 Stars
3/5 Spice

TW : Death of a Parent (Past), Cheating (Past), Explicit Sex, Age Gap (11 years), Fatphobia, Misogyny

Representation : Plus Sized Characters

I received a Free E-Arc in exchange for an honest review through Netgalley. Thank you to Avon and Netgalley.

I adored this book just as much if not more than the others in the series. I truly didn’t expect to get an arc of this book because the other books in the series are extremely popular, which they should be, but I cried when I got the email. This book was everything I wanted in a book where the main characters have a one night stand before they get cast together in a show where they will be intermittently stuck on an island as the only cast members with a small crew. My favorite part of this book is the commentary on fatphobia in Hollywood which is a massive problem. I felt like Olivia Dade handled it well especially as she gave two different perspectives on the problem.

Ship Wrecked is a romance between two fat actors in Hollywood who get cast on a big budget television show, God of Gates, that is comparable to Game of Thrones. They both first meet though at a hotel sauna and have a one night stand where Maria leaves before Peter wakes up the next morning which angers Peter. Maria is a Swedish actor who has never done television before but is known in Switzerland for Theatre and is trying to get a part in Gods of Gates. When they both show up to auditions the next day Peter is very cold towards her out of anger but he doesn’t expect her to get casted with him and then be stuck with her for the next 6 years of filming on a small island. They agree to not have any more sex and to just be friends while they are filming, but no one said what the rules are for after they wrap?
While I really loved this book, I felt like the ending was a bit rushed and also wished we got to see more of their filming time during those six years to understand their relationship development a bit more.

Out of all of the female main characters in this series, Maria is my favorite. I loved how she took no shit and wasn’t willing to compromise on her beliefs to please anyone else. Maria is confident in her body size and in her other decisions including that she doesn’t shave, which I really respected as you don’t see this in most widely published books. She stood her ground and even defended others when they didn’t want to stand up for themselves but wasn’t seen in a negative light for her actions which is rare. Peter was also amazing but I personally didn’t find him a favorite of the male main characters. I felt his actions at some points weren’t well justified, especially one of his actions towards the end of the book.

This is a great book for people looking for a romance featuring fat characters that is set in Hollywood, that is both funny and sad at times.

I have been absolutely dying to read this book since the cover was revealed so I couldn't resist starting it immediately. In addition to a fat heroine, there is a fat hero, and they're both shown on the cover, and a clinch cover at that!! The book had be instantly hooked. I have grown weary of contemporary romances that don't make it to the bedroom until the 70% mark, not this book, it starts with Peter and Maria having a one night stand and then running into each other at an audition for Gods of the Gates (the previous books were about other cast members). The pair find themselves playing leads opposite each other and decide to keep things professional while filming. Six years later the show is ending and they finally give in to their continued attraction.

I adored this book from the start. I absolutely love the way Olivia writes about fat bodies. It's so empowering to read books not just mentioning curves but lovingly describing rounded bellies and soft chins, and letting the characters be sexy while fat. I loved Maria and her confidence from the start. She knew her worth and made sure everyone else knew it too. That being said, her vulnerabilities were were also below the surface and expressed in a way that felt so realistic. I loved her unapologetic Swedishness and love of Abba. I really liked Peter as well, but as a grump he took a bit to warm up to. He was both an interesting foil and complement to Maria. He was gruff and set in his ways, but as the layers to him were peeled back, he became more and more of an interesting and dynamic character. I absolutely adore the two together.

The use of time slip in this book was interesting. The passage of time was denoted very subtly but effectively. I enjoyed that Olivia just gave us the scenes we needed and didn't feel the need to write unnecessary passages to fill the time that were not furthering the romance. I also liked the interstitials between groups of chapters that contained things like cast group chats, fan fiction summaries, and YouTube comments. I was very happy to see characters from the previous books again, especially Alex and Lauren. I don't believe there will be a fourth book in the series, so I will be sad to see this group of characters go.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy. I’m afraid I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I wanted. I think the story is great unfortunately it didn’t keep my interest. I’m going to try again at a future date. I think it was a case of its not the book, it’s me.

Ship Wrecked is the third book of the same "universe" as Spoil Alert and I kindly received an ARC from Netgalley to share my honest opinion.
In this third book, Maria and Peter are two co-stars from the Gods of the Gates TV series production. After a one night stand that left Peter with a bruised ego and a lot of resentment, they discover they will be co-starts in this series production and they will have to work together for several years. Yes, everyone.. the forced proximity here take YEARS! Now, they will have to slowly try to re-build the trust in each other and overcome past traumas to be together.
As usual, Olivia Dade does a great job including fat people in her novels and I loved that this time the main guy was also fat, something that we almost never see in contemporary romance. Different than the other two books of this series, the focus here was on how these two people were advocating for inclusivity in entertainment industry. Besides this important point, she also brings other very much appreciated adult discussions, such as work-life balance vs the need of financial stability, how to deal with long distance relationship, healing after adoption and parent pressure over career choice.
Although these are all very good points to bring in a contemporary romance, I thought it was too much to properly cover in this book. Some arguments on the long-distance relationship, for example, didn't seem to have much strength in one of the characters and, when that was brought up, it seems it wasn't high stake enough for the attitude that said character took.
Additionally, I do appreciate the effort in trying to keep all the 3 books in the same time frame of the events showed in book one, however, the fact that half of this book we saw Maria and Peter on set acting together and half of it was off set, felt like it was two books mashed in one and it prolonged the overall narrative more than it needed to.

Overall was a fun read and, although I'm an immigrant like Maria, I related more to the issues that Peter brought up, so that made me get easily attached to both characters and hope that could work out their issues together,
I gave this a 3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

After an unforgettable one night stand followed by being ghosted in the morning, Maria and Peter have both received jobs working on Gods of the Gates, where they'll be filming on an island consisting only of the two of them and a crew. While their first encounter resulted in them not getting along, it isn't long before the two develop a comfortable friendship and start to fall for each other properly.

First of all, shout out to Olivia Dade for making BOTH characters fat!! I think some of the storylines she included regarding the attitude of the showrunners toward the sizes of these actors wouldn't have worked out if only Maria had been fat and Peter had been a thin man. I also love that the only people who seemed to have any sort of problem with their sizes were the showrunners and it didn't bleed into the show's fandom (that we read about), other actors on the show, etc. One thing we can always rely on this author for is fat representation that isn't triggering for people who may have a negative history with fatphobia, disordered eating, etc.

Now, the plot of the book. It's strange to say that this is a slow burn since the book quite literally opens with them having their one night stand. Despite that, the "Will they, won't they?" feeling that came from this book was STRONG. Even once that question was no longer there, there was so much for the characters to work through that didn't feel forced but was in fact very human and still so interesting. Both of these characters bring some baggage into their relationship that makes things hard for them to finally come together in an honest and true way, and I think Dade expressed that (for both characters) beautifully. I think this was a stunning way to wrap up the Spoiler Alert series, and I CANNOT WAIT for what comes next from Olivia Dade!