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A review by jucolo
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was a great book, I can't recommend enough. This book proves that romcom-esque stories can be emotionally impactful, thoughtful AS WELL AS somewhat spicy. The spice in this (considering it's not published on AO3) is pretty good.
I also loved that the story centered around important and nuanced conversations around fatphobia, neurodivergence, fanfiction/fandom culture and parental relationships.
I want to emphasize that there may be triggering content in this book (which I go into below), but those triggers don't preclude the story from being thoughtful and caring for its characters. Oftentimes, I feel that with romance-type books, the triggers we list are because the author is engaging with certain problematic tropes (which, I will still read; I'm not judge-y). With Spoiler Alert, however, this is not the case. The triggers here portend well-crafted, three-dimensional character building. These characters have complicated histories, but they are both striving to do better and work on themselves. The triggers don't arise from shoddy writing, but rather from in-depth conversations on crucial topics. Unbelievably refreshing.
I also loved that the story centered around important and nuanced conversations around fatphobia, neurodivergence, fanfiction/fandom culture and parental relationships.
I want to emphasize that there may be triggering content in this book (which I go into below), but those triggers don't preclude the story from being thoughtful and caring for its characters. Oftentimes, I feel that with romance-type books, the triggers we list are because the author is engaging with certain problematic tropes (which, I will still read; I'm not judge-y). With Spoiler Alert, however, this is not the case. The triggers here portend well-crafted, three-dimensional character building. These characters have complicated histories, but they are both striving to do better and work on themselves. The triggers don't arise from shoddy writing, but rather from in-depth conversations on crucial topics. Unbelievably refreshing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexual content and Child abuse
The MC is fat. Dade (the author) does a good job (IMO) in explaining why "fat" isn't a negative word without the story feeling like an infographic. She handles conversations around fat liberation well. It was refreshing to have an MC who looks like a real person. It was especially refreshing for the lead guy (noted for being stereotypically Hollywood handsome) to find the MC sexy/hot/beautiful. This is what SHOULD be happening in books. We see it happen in real life, for crying out loud!
I tagged for fatphobia because although our MC loves her body and doesn't view "fat" as an insult, insulting behavior does happen to her. There are a few difficult scenes between her and her mom/family that could potentially be triggering.
The lead guy struggles with self-esteem issues stemming from a childhood with undiagnosed dyslexia. I tagged for ableism (which fatphobia is also a part of, I might add) because there are flashbacks to his parents being emotionally abusive due to their inability to accept his neurodivergence. That neglect strains the relationship he has with them during the story.