Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Spoiler Alert

This was entertaining, too much fanfic for me and too many “yeah that wouldn’t happen irl moments” but it’s a book so. I definitely skipped the fanfics and the writing fanfiction about fellow cast was weird too, but I did like the way April’s thoughts on her body and everything to do with that were written so three stars.

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casey_sunshine's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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divine529's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I really loved this book. If you know me, I'm not a huge romance novel person (I usually prefer it in other forms for whatever reason), but this one won my heart (and when I read the author's note and saw it was basically a Braime fix-it (I kind of saw that anyway) I loved it even more).

This book follows our two main protagonists; Marcus - an actor from a well-known GoT-like TV series (it's an Aeneid retelling), and April a geologist. Both of them are involved in the Gods of the Gates fandom - writing and reading fanfic, going to cons, part of an online community...when April, who is fat, posts a picture of herself cosplaying on of her favorite characters from the show on twitter, and gets hate for her body, Marcus asks her out on a date, and things go from there.

The writing was well done, pacing was pretty good and I loved the dual perspectives we got with excerpts from fanfic, DMs and scripts for extra immersion.

The plot was pretty much what I mentioned above and primarily follows their relationship with each other, but also with their parents and coworkers.

The setting was really great. Most of it takes place in CA in various ways, but it was also great seeing the fandom things. Clearly the author has been involved in fandom life in the past because it was some of the best fandom representation I've arguably ever seen - from the servers to the toxicity, to fawning over the actors, complaining about content, fanfic, all of it. That aspect was one of the things that drew me to the book in the first place.

Finally, the characters. I really loved both April and Marcus, flaws and all. They're both highly flawed characters, but that's what made it feel real. Both of them have a lot of baggage from their pasts that cause some bumps along the road of their relationship, and overall I really love how that was handled. Several of the side characters were also great, but the book was primarily about April and Marcus and their journey. The fat representation was really strong, I didn't always love how it was executed, but that doesn't mean it was bad by any means, it was some of the best I've seen in books and done in a really respectful way (and it might be own voices?). I also liked the dyslexia representation. That's not something that always makes an appearance in books, or is done well. Here, it was both and I really appreciated it.

I had a few issues with the book like the lawyer stereotyping (very much a personal thing) and classics stereotyping (also very personal thing), but it was pretty minor, so it didn't detract from my experience much. Finally, some aspects of their relationship got under my skin from time to time, but that mostly goes to the flawed characters thing. They didn't always make the best life choices. Also I should say, if you're not a fan of smut, or steamy romance scenes, this might not be the best choice for you.

All in all, this was a fantastic read, and one I struggled to put down. I'm definitely going to reread it again in the future.

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memorable's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is one of those books that you can’t put down yet you don’t want it to end. It had me laughing, almost in tears and it definitely did something to my heart. This is just so pure! And so important! All people regardless of their size are to be loved!
I loved both April and Marcus, their vulnerability, but also their fierce behaviour to set boundaries and to stand up for each other. And also the fanfic storyline is definitely something the younger part of myself can still identify with.
The only thing I didn’t love as much as the rest was the stretched and very public ending; that was simply a bit too much for my taste. Other than that, I loved it!
It’s definitely not the last time that I’ve read this book and I guess I gotta get the paperback as well, since this cover is just stunning!

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